UlN.ViiRSITY  Of 

ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 

AT  URBANACHAMPAIGN 


;?lA 


latest  Date  stamped  below. 

for    dl..lplln=ry    «.lon   and    may    re.ul. 
the  University-  333.8400 


FEB  V 


L,61— 01096 


Proposed  Park  Areas  of  Illinois 


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HERTZBERG  -  NEW  METHOD.  INC.        EAST  VANDALIA  ROA' 


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ACCOUNT  NO, 

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F'K'JI-'Ubl-.U    I"f-1H'K    f-iKi::.AS    IN    TllE 


■OKSONVILLE,  ILL.    62650 

LOT  AND  TICKET  NO 

21   ■       102    B 

nr  j.llj;no3;9-.>' 


42-28 


CLOTH  COLOR 


719.32«F910P 


01.STX4 

HEIGHT 


CHARGING  INFORMATION 


FRONT  COVER 


THRU  SEW  ON  TAPE 
HAND  ADHESIVE 


FOREIGN  TITLE 

LINES  OF  LETTERING 


PAGES  LAMINATED 
EXTRA  THICKNESS 
MAP  POCKET  PAPER 
MAP  POCKET  CLOTH 
SPECIAL  WORK 


SPECIAL  WORK  AND  PREP 


Doer  Pai'k  Oanvon 


PROPOSED 

PARK  AREAS 

IN  THE  STATE  OF 

ILLINOIS 


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cA  REPORT 

WITH 

G^ECOMMEJsfDATIOJfS 


Mlishedby  THS  FIII8WS  OF OUI^MTrVE  lASlDSCAPG 

CHICAGO 


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Contents 


The  P>iends  ot  Our  Native  Landscape 
Foreword        .....•• 
The  Apple  River  Cannon  ot  Jo  Daviess  C'oiintx 
The  Savanna  Headhmds      .... 

The  Rock  River  Area 

The  White  Pine  P\)rest  Tract  of  O^le  Count) 

Starxed  Rock  Park 

An  Illinois  River  \'alley  Park 

The  Effingham  Prairie  Park 

Marsh  Lands  and  Drainage  Projects  of  Illinois 

Cahokia  Mound  Park 

The  State  Park  Possibilities  of  Southern  lUinoi 

State  Park  Possibilities  Along  the  Mississippi  Ri 

The  Preservation  of  Our  River  Courses  and  Thei 

ural  Setting 


Nat- 


I  I 
15 
'7 
^5 
33 
43 
49 
59 
67 
75 
87 
95 
109 


509028 


Illustrations 


PAGE 

Deer  Park  Canyon Frontispiece 

Map  showing  locations  of  areas  troated  of  in  tliis  book  13 

Castle  Sninniit  of  Apj^le  River  Canyon IG 

In  Apple  River  Canyon 17 

Sandstone  "Walls  of  Apple  River  Canyon 18 

In  the  Apple  River  Conntry 19 

Shelving-  "Walls  in  Apple  River  Canyon 21 

A  Flood  Plain  in  Apple  River  Canyon 22 

Mississippi  River  near  Savanna 25 

Bevis  Blnffs  along  the  IMississippi  North  of  Savanna  26 

Palisades  of  the  ^lississippi  at  Savanna 27 

The  "Thousand  Islands"  of  Savanna 29 

Rock  River  near  Oregon ?>'^ 

Yie\y  South  from  Prospect  Rock .')4 

"View  East  from  Green  Rock  looking  toward  (!rand 

Detour 35 

Colored  Sandstone  Wall  of  Rock  River 38 

Castle  Rock,  Oregon,  Illinois 39 

View  up  Stream  from  Castle  Rock -lO 

Prospect  Rock 41 

Along  Pine  Creek 43 

In  the  "White  Pine  Forest  of  Ogle  County 44 

Starved  Rock  and  the  Illinois  River 49 

Starved  Rock  fioni  Trover's  fjcap 50 

Starved  Rock 51 

Island  and  Flood  Phiin  fioiii  Starved  Rock 54 

Deer  Park   Canyon 55 

Bailey's  Falls,  Staivcd  Rock  i'ark 57 

The  Spoon  River  helow  Bei-nailotte 59 

In  the  Spoon  River  Country 60 

The  Spoon  River  at  Bernadotte 61 

A  Corner  of  Lake  Kanaga 67 

Woodland  Scene,  looking  Nortli 68 

Little  Wabash  River  Dam  and  Bridge  on  "National 

Old  Trails  Road,"  looking  Northwest 69 

Little  Wabash  Valley  Bottoms 71 


10  l^roposcd  Viirk  Areas  oj  UhnoiS 

PACE 

Pi-oposeil  Lake  Site,  looking  East 7'J 

Lake  Kanaga,  looking  Pjast,  Showing  Soiitli  Shore..    <.j 
In  many  places  the  timber  is  dying  in  the  Kankakee 
district  for  lack  of  water.     This  photograph  was 
taken  during  the  last  week  in  July,  1921.     Note 

that  there  are  no  leaves  on  the  trees 75 

Little  Beaver  Lake,  now  sand  and  thistles 76 

One   of  the   ditches   through   the   Kankakee   District 
which    removed    both    surface    and    underground 

water  "7 

A  desert  where  formerlv  existed  a  Sjiortsman's  Para- 
dise   '. SO 

AVhite  Sand— Part  of  tract  of  l(),(in()  acres  in  the  Kan- 
kakee Districts  plowed  and  i)lanted  in  rye  in  1!>'J1. 

Nothing  grew   •  •   81 

Persimmon   Mound,   500  feet   southeast   of   Cahokia 

Mound  87 

Cahokia  (Monk's)  Mound.     North  view 89 

Cahokia   Mound.     South  view 91 

Natural  Bridge,  Pope  County 95 

The  Stone  Face,  Cave  Hill,  Saline  County 96 

"Glen  Fern,"  near  Tunnel  Hill,  Johnson  County.  ...   97 

Great  Wall  and  Cave-in.     Pope  County 100 

Piasa  Bluffs  along  the  Mississippi,  Graftini,  Jersey 

County    .' 103 

Flory's    Cave,    near   Tunnel   Hill,    Johnson    County 

(Front  view  of  central  part) 109 

Road  in   Beautiful   Illinois .  1  lo 

Road  in  Northern  Illinois.     This  also  compares  with 

the  Ozark   Country 11^ 

Road  in  Northern  Illinois 115 

Prairie  of  Illinois 1 19 


Proposed  Park  Areas 


The  Friends  of  Our  Native 
Landscape 

The  society  of  The  Friends  of  Our  Native 
Landscape  was  founded  for  the  purpose  of 
preserving  our  native  landscape.  As  the  great- 
est number  of  its  members  are  in  IlHnois  it  is 
quite  natural  that  its  chief  efforts  at  present 
are  directed  towards  the  preservation  of  what 
is  left  of  the  scenic  and  historic  lands  in 
this  state. 

To  carry  on  this  work  in  a  comprehensive 
and  scientific  manner,  a  committee  was 
appointed  by  the  Board  of  Directors  on 
January  8th,  1919,  for  the  purpose  of  investi- 
gating such  lands  in  Illinois  as  are  worthy 
of  preservation  and  reporting  their  findings  to 
the  board.  The  only  stipulation  was  that  each 
tract  should  contain  not  less  than  a  thousand 
acres.  The  reason  for  this  is  primarily  not  to 
interfere  with  the  present  state  laws  which 
give  counties  the  privilege  to  vote  them- 
selves into  forest  preserve  districts  for  the 
acquisition  of  scenic  and  forested  lands.  This 
gives  each  county  the  advantage  of  purchas- 
ing small  areas  which  are  of  local  interest 
only.  Another  reason  is  that  it  requiries  large 
areas  to  preserve  the  native  flora  and  fauna 
in  all  its  wild  and  mysterious  beauty.  Over- 
crowded parks  or  preserves  mean  the  de- 
struction of  all  such. 

On  January  27th.  1918,  the  first  meeting  of 
the  committee  was  held  and  on  February  15th, 


12  i'fo/>oSi-(I  I'jrk-  Aiwis  of  lU'/nois 

1921,  the  report  of  the  committee  was  accepted 
by  the  Board  of  Directors.  The  survey  of  the 
lands  mentioned  in  the  report  was  undertaken 
by  members  of  the  committee  who  were  well 
qualified  for  their  tasks.  The  expense  of  the 
survey  and  the  printing  of  this  report  has 
been  met  by  the  generous  donations  of  the 
members  of  The  Friends  of  Our  Native 
Landscape. 

The  following  named  persons  constitute 
the  State  Park  Committee: 

Jens  Jensen,  Chj/nimn Chicago 

Prof.  Stephen  A.  Forbes Urbana 

Prof.    Ernest   Freund Chicago 

Clarence    Bonneli Harrisburg 

Dr.  Henry  Cowles Chicago 

John  Sherman Chicago 

George  Dauchy Chicago 

Miss  Anna  Page  Scott Dubuque 

Spencer  Ewing Bloomington 

W.  D.  Richardson Chicago 

Theodore  Jessup Chicago 

O.  M.  Schantz Cicero 

Mrs.  W.  L.  Arnold Chicago 

Mrs.  Kathryn  Hammond Savanna 

Everett  L.  Millard Highhmd  Park 

\Vn  I  ARD  H.  Ashton Rocktord 

The  committee  on  publication  which  has 
had  charge  of  the  preparation  and  printing 
of  this  report  consists  of 

Dr.  Henry  Cowiks Chicago 

Jesse  L.  Smith Highhind  Park 

R.   B.    Miller ITrbana 

Jens   Jensen Chicago 

lV\i  I'll  Fi  !  -re  11 1  R  Si  VMOiR Ravinia 


'^)Baid  Knob   ,A..d 

@ParK..-TaonJA 

C!6)j<.c.K^or,  UoNow-CUJ^Br^nct,  A 


Foreword 


jHIS  report  is  a  contribution  by  The  Friends  ot 
Our  Native  Landscape.  Each  survey  repre- 
sents on  the  part  of  its  author  a  feeling  of 
insight  and  intimacy  toward  the  area  de- 
scribed. The  report  is  a  work  of  love  and 
must  be  accepted  as  such. 

Although  there  still  remains  a  great  deal  to  be  done  in 
the  way  of  complete  surveys  of  the  lands  recommended, 
this  report  can  be  accepted  as  a  general  outline  of  such  sec- 
tions of  Illinois  as  should  be  preserved  for  present  and 
future  generations.  Practically  all  the  lands  mentioned  in 
this  report  are  of  little  or  no  agricultural  value.  They 
bring  to  us  more  of  the  spiritual  side  than  the  material. 
They  represent  Illinois  as  the  white  man  found  it — a  dif- 
ferent world  from  the  man-made  one — equally  important 
in  developing  the  cultural  life  of  Illinois.  They  offer  ref- 
uge for  native  wild  life  and  a  place  of  escape  for  a  while, 
at  least,  from  the  grind  and  cares  of  daily  life. 

Besides  the  areas  described  here,  there  are  lands  along 
the  Little  Vermilion,  the  Kaskaskia  and  the  Wabash  Rivers 
that  should  be  preserved  either  for  county  or  state  reserva- 
tions. The  Ozark  uplifts  in  Southern  Illinois  are  better 
fitted  for  forest  lands  than  agricultural,  and  a  large  sec- 
tion of  this  region,  outside  the  areas  recommended  for  parks, 
should  be  acquired  by  the  State  for  forests.  In  the  Savanna 
region  an  interstate  park  might  be  established,  taking  in 
all  the  islands  of  the  Mississippi,  together  with  the  bluffs 
and  canyons  of  Illinois  and  Iowa.  The  islands  will  furnish 
camping  sites  for  thousands,  and  as  a  bird  preserve,  this 
region  would  be  equal  to  any  in  the  middle  West. 

Another  matter  of  importance  is  the  selection  of  conven- 
ient roads  between  the  reservations.  They  should  be  con- 
structed and  controlled  by  the  state.  Wherever  possible, 
these  roads  should  follow  the  rivers  or  water  courses  so  as 


i6 


Proposed  Park  Areas  of  Illinois 


to  reach  the  most  pirturesque  sections  of  Illinois.  In  time 
they  will  become  the  great  pleasure  highways  ot  our  State. 
Count}'  parks  may  be  locateti  on  or  in  close  proximit}-  to 
these  highwajs. 

A  plan  as  outlined  in  the  following  pages  will  eventually 
make  our  State  one  great  park  where  the  primitive  America 
will  vie  in  interest  and  beauty  with  the  rural  country,  where 
fields  of  corn  are  fringed  with  our  native  crabapple  and 
prairie  blossoms,  and  entwined  by  winding  streams  and 
rivers  on  whose  towering  blutfs  the  golden  tassels  of  the  oak 
are  silhouetted  against  the  blue  sky  of  Illinois. 

Jens  Jensen. 


Castle  Summit  of  Apple  Eivcr  Canyon 


The  Apple  River  Canyon  of 
Jo  Daviess  County 


111  A])ple  River  Canyon 


Saiiilstduc   Walls  of  AppU'  Mivcr  C'anyoii 


In  the  Apple  River  I'oiiiiti-y 

The  Apple  River  Canyon  of 
Jo  Daviess  County 

Hkrman  S.  Pepoon 

A  Proposed  State  Park  Site 

An  area  to  be  set  aside  as  a  State  Parle  tor  the  perpetual 
use  and  pleasure  ot  its  eiti'/ens  should  have  a  number  of 
prominent  outstanding  characteristics  or  qualities:  (l)  As 
far  as  possible  it  should  be  in  the  original  condition  with 
as  little  evidence  of  man's  interference  as  is  consistent  with 
accessibility:  (2)  The  topographic  features  should  be  strik- 
ing and  diversified:  (3)  Forest  growth  should  be  much  in 
qu'antity  and  pleasing  in  quality:  (4)  Water,  pure  and 
natural',  should  be  well  distributed:  (5)  The  site  should  be 
easy  of  access  by  steam  and  auto  roads:  (6)  Historical 
values  would  add  much  to  the  interest:  (7)  Nearness  to 
supplies  so  that  campers  may  not  find  their  pleasure  marred 
by  precarious  necessities  of  life,  is  imperative,  and,  lastly, 
(8)  The  neighboring  citizenry  should  be  friendly  to  such  a 
location  so  that  best  results  may  accrue. 


20 


I'roposctl  [\irk  Areas  of  Illinois 


Measured  b)  .sucli  btandards  our  .state  has  no  place  tliat 
can  be  considered  more  entitled  to  recommendation  than 
the  Canyon  ot  Apple  River.  This  canyon  is  138  miles 
north  by  west  of  Chicago,  lying  between  the  Illinois  Central 
and  Great  Western  Railways,  live  miles  from  each;  three 
miles  from  the  Grant  Highway,  five  miles  from  Warren, 
seven  miles  from  Stockton.     Its  beginning  is  three  miles 


south  of  the  Illinois-Wisconsin  line  and  its  tull  extent  lies 
within  the  boundary  of  Rush  Township,  Jo  Daviess  County. 
The  canyon  is  a  water  formed  gorge  cut  into  the  Galena 
dolomite  and  its  length  of  five  miles  wearing  through  that 
formation  from  summit  to  base,  or  250  vertical  feet.  The 
rocks  are  more  or  less  precipitous,  often  fomiing  cliffs  from 
50  to  150  feet  in  height.  Everywhere  the  remaining  slopes 
vary  little  from  4;  or  more  degrees.  The  gorge  floor  is 
rarely  ever  more  than  ten  rods  wide,  the  upper  width  less 
than  one-fourth  of  a  mile.     T\\f  depth  varies  from  60  to 


Fhe  App/r  R/vcr  Can  van 


21 


siicKiiii;   Walls  in  Apple  River  Canyon 


250  feet  and  tor  much  of  the  distance  approximates  the 
latter  ti^ure.  The  direction  is  almost  exactly  X.E.-S.W., 
the  outflow  being  the  latter,  but  minor  curves  add  to  the 
beauty  and  charm.  The  rocks  are  a  gra}-bufF  dolomitic 
limestone  in  massive  or  thin  strata,  much  mingled  with  chert 
seams,  and  on  exposed  blufFs  often  assuming  striking  or 
fantastic  forms  of  castles,  towers  and  the  like.  Fossils  are 
numerous  at  certain  horizons.  The  sheer  cliffs  are  often 
tinted  with  the  prolific  lichen  flora. 

The  Apple  River  which  has  carved  the  cannon  rises  on 
the  state  line,  15  miles  northwestward,  and  near  West 
Point,  8  miles  eastward,  the  two  forks  uniting  at  Millville 
at  the  immediate  entrance  to  the  canyon.  Jo  Daviess 
County  is  a  driftless  area,  the  Illinoisan  glacier  separating 
northward  and  passing  by  to  the  east  at  the  Jo  Daviess- 
Stephenson  County  line,  and  westwardly  a  little  beyond 
the  present  Mississippi.  In  preglacial  days  the  state  line 
source  was  the  only  one,  the  river  passing  the  present  site  of 
Millville,  flowing  through  the  east  branch  course  for  two 
miles  and  then  along  the  present  valley  of  Mud  Run  and 


22  ['ropost'd  l\irk  Areas  of  lll/no/s 

then  Yellow  Creek  valley  into  the  Pecatonica  near  where 
Freeport  now  is  located.  l"he  glacier  above  referred  to 
dammed  this  ancient  river  valle}  and  turned  the  accumu- 
lated waters  of  Apple  River  southwest  over  what  was  prob- 
ably a  low  divide,  into  the  waters  of  a  preglacial  tributary 
of  the  Mississippi  River.  Thus  began  the  cutting  down  of 
the  canyon,  which  we  see  today  in  all  its  extent  and  beaut}', 
not  a  finished  product  but  yet  in  the  formative  period. 

The  river  iself  is  a  small  stream  of  clear  cool  water  flow- 
ing about  1  oo  cu.  ft.  a  second  at  ordinary  stage.  Its  course 
is  marked  bj-  long  and  wide  stretches  of  quiet  deep  water 
invariably  at  the  bases  of  great  cliffs,  alternating  with  cross- 
ing riffles  of  shoal  water  where  the  river  passes  from  one 
side  of  its  narrow  valle}-  to  the  other.  For  example — in  a 
distance  from  Millville  of  one  and  one-half  miles  there  are 
fifteen  crossings  and  the  same  number  of  pools.  The  bed  is 
always  rock,  either  the  solid  bed  rock  of  the  deeps  or  the 
loose  worn  rubble  of  the  riffles.  Springs  abound,  adding 
volume  and  coolness  and  affording  many  places  of  refresh- 
ment.     The  side  gulches,   numerous  and   exceedingly  pic- 


A   Flood    Plain   in   A])ple   Hivcr  Canyon 


The  App/c  R/ver  Canyon  23 

turesque,  coniiiionly  bring  to  the  main  stream  small  addi- 
tions in  the  torm  ot  cold  sparkling  rivulets. 

With  the  exception  of  an  occasional  bald  and  sheer 
precipice  of  stone,  vegetation  is  everywhere.  Sixty  or  more 
varieties  of  trees  are  found  within  the  first  mile  of  the  can- 
yon's course.  Shrubs  and  vines  are  rampant — nearly  500 
species  of  herbaceous  plants,  many  with  beautiful  bloom, 
grace  the  valley,  the  slopes  and  the  rocks  and  crags.  Rare 
forms  abound,  finding  congenial  habitat  in  the  sheltered 
depths  of  the  canyon  where  no  cold  and  blighting  north  wind 
ever  blows.  Since  the  seas  of  the  Ordovician  Period  receded 
an  interrupted  reign  of  sun  and  rain,  frost  and  sleet  has 
stimulated  the  growth  and  luxuriance  of  what  must  be  very 
ancient  habitants  of  this  field  Elysian. 

The  stream  abounds  with  small-mouth  black  bass  and 
other  brethren.  The  wolf,  the  fox,  the  mink,  the  raccoon, 
and  many  weaker  forest  folks  and  swarms  of  birds,  resi- 
dent, summer  visitors  or  migrants,  invite  to  study  or  enter- 
tainment, and  the  crowning  point  will  be  when  all  these 
charms  and  treasures  of  water,  rock,  tree,  flower,  beast  and 
bird  are  taken  under  the  protecting  care  of  creation's  master 
and  so  conserved  and  preserved  for  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  men  for  all  time  to  come. 


The  Savanna  Headlands 


Mississippi  River  near  Savanna 


Bovis  BluiTs  ahniix  the  ]\lississii)|)i,  North   of  Savanna 


Photo  Maaica  li 


Palisades  of  the  ^Mississip])!  at  Savanna 


The  Savanna  Headlands 


Jens  Jensen 


The  site  recommended  tor  a  State  Park  in  Carroll  County 
commences  north  of  the  city  of  Savanna  and  toUows  the 
Mississippi  River  north  beyond  the  Apple  River.  It  in- 
cludes the  rocky  blutTs,  the  wooded  flood  plains,  and  the 
numerous  islands  in  the  Mississippi.  As  a  great  many  ot 
these  island  belong  to  the  State  of  Iowa  it  is  proposed  that 
by  joint  action  between  the  State  of  Iowa  and  the  State  ot 
Illinois  this  wonderful  park  be  created.  The  park  would 
include  the  Iowa  Bluifs  as  well  as  the  Illinois  Blutfs  and 
the  canyons  of  the  Apple  River. 

Just  north  of  the  city  of  Savanna,  the  Mississippi  River 
hugs  closely  to  the  Illinois  side  and  through  thousands  of 
years  of  erosion  has  formed  the  Mississippi  Palisades,  a 
prototype  of  the  famous  Palisades  of  the  Hudson.  On 
these  ancient  cliffs  of  prehistoric  times,  botanical  and 
geological  science,  together  with  the  early  history  of  Illinois, 
vie  with  each  other  in  importance  and  interest.  The  deep 
ravines  are  tilled  with  forests  of  ferns  and  the  crag  and  talus 


28 


I'roposri/  ['ark  Areas  of  llhno/s 


torniarions  are  tuU  o\   inttresting  planrs  not  touiul  in  the 
adjacent  prairie  counrry  ot  Illinois. 

The  views  from  the  Palisades  up  and  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi are  both  dramatic  and  inspiring.  Nowhere  in 
Illinois  are  they  tiner.  It  is  here  that  we  of  Mid-America 
may  feel  the  greatness  ot  the  prairie  country  to  the  fullest 


At  ^avat^aJa 


extent — its  vastness  and  its  intimate  beaut} .  Here  we  may 
watch  the  "Father  of  Waters"  as  it  flows  silently  by  and 
our  thoughts  follow  its  silvery  thread  along  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  and  are  then  carried  with  the  Gulf  Stream  far,  tar 
away  to  other  shores  and  other  peoples.  What  more  in- 
spiring, more  fascinating  can  there  be  to  the  boys  and  girls 
of  farm  and  town  in  this  great  land  of  wide  prairies? 


The  Savanna  Headlands 


29 


The  "Thousand  Islands"  of  Savanna 


The  imposing  cliffs  are  doubtless  the  chief  attraction  at 
Savanna,  and  the  dolomite  limestone  of  which  they  con- 
sist, has  been  made  to  appear  in  many  bold  and  grotesque 
or  strikingly  imitative  shapes,  as  is  the  case  with  the  famous 
"Indian  Head"  a  mile  from  the  city.  This  cliff  viewed 
from  certain  points  on  the  Indian  Head  Auto  road  has  a 
startling  resemblance  to  the  low-browed — high  cheekboned 
— ftrm  chinned  visage  of  an  Indian,  and  there  are  not  lack- 
ing legends  that  hold  that  of  a  verity  it  was  the  handiwork 
of  some  ancient  red  craftsman.  A  cliff  farther  north,  sep- 
arated from  the  head  by  a  charming  wooded  valley  in  which 
flows  a  pretty  stream,  has  the  form  of  a  pair  of  tall  separated 
columns  called  the  "Sisters."  In  many  places  bold  cliffs 
thrust  out  their  bald  brows  from  the  universal  foliage.  A 
small  cavern  near  the  Indian  Head  is  reputed  to  be  a  favor- 
ite resting  and  watch  place  of  Blackhazvk  himself. 

Savanna  occupies  the  extreme  point  of  a  great  ridge  that 
lies  between  Plum  River  and  Rush  Creek  and  the  views 
from  the  narrow  crest  of  this  elevation  and  its  sister  Ter- 
rapin Ridge  next  west  are  remarkable  for  extent  and  mag- 
nificent outlook.  All  these  headlands  and  ridges  were 
favorable  places  for  the  erection  of  the  fascinating  "Indian" 


30  I'rolxjsccI  I'ari'  Arc'cis  of  llluio/s 

mounds  that  occur  by  scores.  Many  have  been  "opened 
up"  and  great  treasure  in  flints,  beads,  etc.,  have  at  times 
been  found.  The  narrow  back-like  ridged  summits  were 
the  chosen  trails  of  the  Indians  in  passing  from  the  great 
river  to  the  hunting  grounds  and  encampments  toward  the 
north.  These  trails  were  adopted  by  the  first  whites  and 
today  in  many  places  remnants  of  these  ancient  trails  and 
coach  roads  are  plainly  seen.  On  practically  every  bare  and 
overlooking  bluff  brow  by  river  and  trail  the  mounds  ap- 
j)car.  About  the  waters  of  Big  Rush  Creek  and  Apple 
River  farther  north,  other  mounds  occur,  in  some  the  dirt 
being  carried  long  distances  for  their  building. 

The  Savanna  site  lies  near  the  famous  Sand  Prairie  of  Car- 
roll and  Jo  Daviess  Counties,  much  of  which  is  now  occu- 
pied by  the  great  ordinance-proving  grounds  of  the  l^.  S. 
This  prairie  is  a  bit  of  the  far  west  set  down  in  Illinois 
with  all  its  unique  flora  and  is  a  happy  hunting  ground  for 
the  botanist  as  it  aforetime  was  tor  the  red  man.  On  this 
prairie  also  mounds  appear  and  on  either  side  of  Apple 
River  where  it  emerges  from  the  bluffs  hosts  of  other 
mounds  attest  that  the  whole  area  from  Savanna  north 
along  the  sand  terrace  upon  the  bluff  crowns  and  on  the 
ridges  was  the  home  of  a  very  numerous  ancient  people. 

A  little  north  of  the  Park  are  the  Mississippi  Flats  more 
or  less  covered  with  forests.  It  is  in  the  bottom  lands  of 
our  rivers  that  the  trees  of  Illinois  have  reached  their  great- 
est size  and  many  a  venerable  giant,  born  in  the  ages  long 
before  the  white  man  settled  in  this  wild  western  country, 
still  stands  here  to  tell  the  story  of  Indian  occupation  and 
the  coming  of  the  white  man.  Numerous  islands,  gems  of 
verdure  and  beauty,  are  scattered  all  through  the  bottom 
lands  of  the  Mississippi  in  this  section.  The}-  are  covered 
with  tree  growth  and  many  of  them  provide  camping  places 
for  summer  visitors  and  the  many  channels  between  the 
islands  furnish  fine  opportunities  tor  canoeing. 

Bird  life  is  rich  in  these  islands,  as  well  as  in  the  forests 
and  ravines  of  the  Mississippi  bluffs.  It  is  not  unusual,  at 
the  time  when  the  pentstemon  is  in  bloom,  to  see  swarms  of 
humming  birds  sucking  the  nectar  from  the  flowers.  This 
State  Park  or  State  Reservation  would  make  one  of  the  best 


TJic  Savanna  Headlands  31 

bird  preserves  in  the  Mississippi  valle}'  and  the  greatest  in 
all  Illinois. 

From  Savanna  north,  the  Indianhead  Trail  winds  its  way 
through  this  proposed  reservation,  touching  the  Apple  River 
Can}-ons.  Let  us  hope  that  some  day  in  the  not  so  distant 
future,  the  Indianhead  Trail  will  continue  on  through  Lee 
County,  joining  this  great  Park  of  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Apple  River  with  the  already  established  park  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Wisconsin  River  in  Wisconsin. 


The  Rock  River  Area 


Rock  River  near  Orearon 


A'it'W  South  from  Pros]ioet  Kock 


View  P^ast  from  Green  Rook,  looking  toward  Grand 
Detour 


The  Rock  River  Area 

Fredkrick  H.  Fattee 

Among  the  rivers  of  the  prairie  states,  the  Rock  River  of 
Illinois  is  unique  in  the  beauty  and  variety  of  its  landscape. 
From  its  entrance  into  the  state,  near  the  center  of  the  Wis- 
consin line,  to  its  junction  with  the  Father  of  Waters  below 
Rock  Island,  a  course  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  it  pre- 
sents a  succession  of  interesting  pictures.  var}ing  in  char- 
acter and  effect  with  the  geologic  history  of  the  different 
portions.  Where  the  river  follows  its  pre-glacial  course,  the 
valley  is  broad  with  gently  rounded  hills;  but  where  a  new 
course  has  been  cut  through  old  divides,  the  valley  is  nar- 
row, with  rugged  hills  or  precipitous  cliffs.  Throughout 
its  length,  the  hills  and  the  valley  are  for  the  most  part 
heavily  wooded,  although  occasionally  a  naked  hillside  with 
eroded  gullies  stands  as  an  object  lesson  of  the  folly  of  de- 
forestation. 

The  present  growing  interest  in  the  creation  ot  state  parks 


v^ 


l'rnj)o.wil  I'dik  Areas  of  III/ik 


and  forest  preserves  will  doubtless  brin^-  forth  local  de- 
mands tor  the  conversion  into  park  lands  ot  numerous  desir- 
able areas  of  Rock  River  frontage.  And  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  time  will  come  when  the  Rock  and  other  Illinois 
rivers  will  flow  through  practically  continuous  areas  of 
state  park  land.  But  a  tirst  step  in  this  direction  should  be 
taken  at  once,  and  the  logical  one  would  be  to  secure  the 
area  which  is  at  once  the  most  picturesque,  most  accessible, 
and  most  available. 

Those  familiar  with  the  Rock  River  know  that  this  de- 
scription refers  to  a  section  between  Oregon  and  Dixon, 
which   is  convenienth-  designated   the    "Grand   Detour   re- 


The  Rack  Rrccr  Area  37 

gion,"  from  the  quaint  and  interesting  little  \illage  ot  that 
name,  midway  between  the  other  towns  mentioned.  This 
stretch  contains  a  wealth  of  beautiful  and  interesting  fea- 
tures. Few  persons  who  have  not  visited  it  suspect  that  in 
the  heart  of  the  prairies  ot  Illinois,  there  exists  a  region  of 
such  striking  and  romantic  beauty.  Here  are  majestic  hills, 
sweeping  vistas  of  island-studded  river,  abrupt  cliffs  of 
sandstone  or  limestone,  and  luxuriant  ami  \aried  forest 
growth. 

The  village  of  Grand  Detour  itself  would  be  well  worth 
saving,  were  it  possible  and  necessary,  for  it  is  in  agreeable 
contrast  to  our  generally  crude  and  unlovely  midwest  vil- 
lages. It  was  settled  by  New  Englanders  early  in  the  last 
century,  and  still  retains  the  character  of  a  New  England 
town,  with  its  elm-shaded  streets  and  white  cottages.  In 
pioneer  times  it  was  the  seat  of  a  thriving  frontier  industry, 
and  its  citizens  proudly  boast  that  John  Deere,  the  village 
blacksmith,  made  the  first  steel  plow  in  his  Grand  Detour 
forge,  thereb}-  laying  the  foundations  of  the  great  establish- 
ment bearing  his  name  which  later  grew  up  at  Moline. 

When  the  railroads  began  to  extend  westward  from  Chi- 
cago. Grand  Detour  had  dreams  of  industrial  greatness,  but 
the  railroad  went  to  Dixon,  its  rival  down  the  river,  and 
Grand  Detour  was  left  to  dream  out  its  existence,  under  its 
great  elms,  without  benefit  of  railroad  yards,  roundhouses, 
freight  trains  and  "vestibule  limiteds."  Instead,  it  has  be- 
come a  place  of  recreation  and  refreshment  for  a  goodly  and 
growing  number  of  people  who  appreciate  quaintness,  quiet, 
and  scenic  beauty. 

The  village  takes  its  name  from  the  great  bend  or  loop  in 
the  river  at  this  point,  which  the  early  French  explorers 
tenned  the  "grande  detour."  In  a  sweep  of  three  and  one- 
half  miles,  the  river  returns  within  half  a  mile  of  itself,  and 
the  village  is  situated  on  the  narrow  neck,  with  the  same 
river  as  its  eastern  and  western  boundaries. 

.A  strip  of  river  bank,  varying  from  a  few  feet  to  a  mile 
in  depth,  and  extending  for  five  miles  up  and  five  miles 
down  the  river,  would  include  some  of  the  loveliest  scenery 
in  the  middle  west,  and  provide  innumerable  camp  sites. 
The  land  required  has  no  great  commercial  value,  and  can 


38 


i'roposcd  I'ark  Areas  of  IHnio/s 


Colored  Sandstono  Wall  of  Mm'k   Klver 

doubtless  be  secured  at  \o\\  rates  b\-  purchase  or  condemna- 
tion. 

Down  the  river  from  the  village,  the  right  bank  ot  the 
river  presents  a  series  of  splendid  wooded  bluffs  with  a  num- 
ber of  cliffs  of  St.  Peter's  sandstone,  rising  sheer  from  the 
river,  interesting! v  sculptured  by  water  and  weather.     From 


The  Rock  River  Area 


39 


Castle  Rock,  Orcyoii,  Illinois 

the  last  one,  Green  Rock,  the  sweeping  panoramic  view  is 
of  unusual  charm.  A  little  farther  on  the  bluffs  are  broken 
by  the  valley  of  Pine  Creek,  a  picturesque  stream  which 
flows  through  the  White  Pine  Grove  of  Ogle  County,  a 
notable  and  important  state  park  project.  It  has  been 
suggested  that  the  valley  of  Pine  Creek  should  be  included 
in  the  park  project  to  connect  the  White  Pine  tract  and 
the  Grand  Detour  tract.  Beyond  Pine  Creek  the  high 
ground  begins  again,  and  follows  the  river  to  Dixon. 

South  of  the  village,  the  bluffs  are  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  river,  with  a  number  of  fine  rocky  cliffs,  the  most  nota- 


40 


Propositi  I'jrk  Areas  of  UV/no/s 


ble  hi'wv^  c-allt'd  •AMiirlpool  Rock."  This  massive  wall  of 
sandstone  is  directly  in  the  westerly  course  of  the  river  at 
the  southern  part  of  its  great  loop,  and  deflects  it  suddenly 
to  the  north  through  a  narrow  channel.  The  headland  is 
crowned  with  a  group  of  white  pines,  of  which  occasional 
specimens  are  found  in  this  section. 

North  of  the  village  the  "river  road"  to  Oregon  is  of  un- 
usual interest,  skirting  the  west  bank  of  the  river  part  ot 
the  wa}',  with  a  splendid  view  of  the  fine  wooded  bluffs  on 
the  farther  side.  About  five  miles  from  Grand  Detour,  the 
valle-s"  becomes  narrower  and  the  rounded  hills  bounding 
the  valley  on  the  west  are  replaced  by  a  group  of  steep  cliffs 
of  sandstone,  rising  from  the  water's  edge,  and  extending 
about  half  a  mile.  (Geologic  lore  explains  that  this  marks 
an  old  divide  through  which  the  river  has  cut  its  way  in 
relatively  recent  times.)  The  most  northern  of  these  rock 
masses,  called  Castle  Rock,  is  a  detached  pyramid  of  bare 
sandstone.  Prospect  Rock,  the  most  imposing  of  the  cliffs 
of  this  region,  is  the  exposed  end  of  a  long  ridge  running 
at  right  angles  to  the  river.  The  views  from  these  cliffs 
are  exceptionally  fine ;  Castle  Rock,  being  located  at  a  bend 
in  the  river,  shows  a  sweeping  panorama,  including  both  the 
up-stream  and  the  down-stream  views,  but  the  vista  from 


N'ii'W   up  Sti-i'ani  from  Castle  T?oc 


Hic  Rork  Rrccr  Area 


41 


Prospect  Rock,  looking  south  down  the  river,  is  by  tar  the 
best  ot  all  the  splendid  views  in  this  favored  region.  A 
miniature  archipelago  of  willow-covered  islets  is  a  fascin- 
ating element  of  the  picture,  which  includes  another  cliff 
in  the  foreground,  the  heavily  wooded  and  rounded  hills  of 
the  left  bank,  and  the  extended  prospect  down  the  ri\er 
valley  to  the  far  hills  at  the  horizon. 

The  topography  of  the  Castle  Rock  region  is  more  rugged 
and  broken  than  any  other  portion  of  this  district,  and  as 
a  result  is  more  nearly  in  a  state  of  nature.  Unbroken 
woods  cover  the  abrupt  hills  and  deep  ravines  to  a  depth 
of  a  mile  back  from  the  ri\(r.  One  can  easily  feel  that  he 
is  in  the  heart  of  an  untouched  wilderness,  if  he  is  out  of 
sight  of  the  road,  the  summer  cottages  lining  the  river,  and 
the  crude  pavilion  for  dancing  and  refreshments,  which 
some  misguided  mortal  has  erected  in  the  shadow  of  Castle 
Rock. 

One  of  the  delightful  features  of  this  region  is  the  excel- 
lent boating.  The  dam  at  Dixon  is  of  sufficient  height  to 
make  a  long  back-water,  so  that  even  at  Grand  Detour,  ten 
miles  up  stream,  the  current  is  very  slight,  making  ideal  con- 
ditions for  rowboats  or  canoes.     The  water  is  deep  enough 


^^^ 


Prospect  Rock 


42  Proposed  l\irk  Areas  of  lUnio/s 

fur  launchi'.s  of  considerable  size,  as  far  as  Grand  Detour, 
but  beyond  the  village  the  river  is  too  shallow  tor  large 
boats,  and  the  current  too  swift  to  induce  much  upstream 
traffic  on  the  part  of  small  boats.  Unfortunately  but  few 
of  the  many  persons  who  visit  this  delectable  country  ever 
see  it  from  the  river,  for  without  this  experience  much  of 
its  charm  and  beauty  is  missed. 

This  region  is  so  accessible  that  it  seems  strange  that  it 
has  not  been  discovered  by  a  larger  number  of  vacationists 
and  nature  lovers.  Near  the  center  of  the  northern  half  of 
the  state,  it  can  be  reached  in  a  few  hours  by  train  from 
almost  any  point  in  that  section.  The  main  lines  of  the 
Chicago  and  Northwestern,  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Ouinc}-,  crossing  the  state  from  east  to  west,  land  passengers 
respectively  at  Dixon  and  Oregon,  between  which  the  pro- 
posed park  area  lies. 

The  recently  completed  Lincoln  Highway  is  now  a  con- 
crete pavement  from  Chicago  to  Clinton,  passing  through 
Dixon.  Another  main  cross-state  thoroughfare  soon  to  be 
improved  runs  from  Chicago  to  Dubuque,  through  Rock- 
ford.  The  Black  Hawk  trail,  as  the  highway  which  follows 
the  Rock  River  from  Sterling  to  Beloit  is  called,  is  on  the 
list  for  early  improvement;  it  will  be  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful drives  in  the  state,  and  passes  through  the  area  under 
discussion.  Probably  no  other  proposed  park  area  in  the 
state  is  so  easily  reached  by  so  large  a  number  of  people. 

The  need  of  immediate  action  is  apparent.  Men  of 
wealth  are  beginning  to  appreciate  the  beauty  of  Rock  River 
frontage,  and  several  estates  of  large  area  have  already  been 
established.  The  choicer  portions  may  be  purchased  for 
this  purpose  at  any  time,  with  results  disastrous  to  the  park 
project.  The  wooded  areas  are  being  reduced  every  year, 
in  the  interest  of  the  farmer's  fire  wood,  and  increased  area 
for  cultivation.  \'alues  are  increasing,  and  every  year's  de- 
lay means  a  higher  price  for  the  land.  In  this  connection, 
the  experience  of  the  Cook  County  Forest  Preserve  is  illum- 
inating. The  prices  paid  for  the  twenty  thousand  acres 
thus  far  acquired,  during  the  last  five  years,  are  about  three 
times  as  much  as  would  have  been  paid  had  the  land  been 
purchased  twenty  years  ago,  when  the  first  ?ur\ey  for  an 
outer  jiark  district  for  Chicago  was  made. 


The  White  Pine  Forest  Tract 
of  Ogle  County 

Rebecca  H.  Kauffman 

The  White  Pine  (Pinus  Strobus)  Tree  Tract  lies  in 
Ogle  County,  nine  miles  from  Oregon  and  seven  miles 
from  Polo.  It  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Chicago  and 
Iowa  Trail  (known  as  the  "C.  &  I.  Trail"),  and  on  the 
east  side  by  the  highway  leading  to  Mt.  Morris,  live  miles 
to  the  north.  On  the  north  of  the  tract  is  the  main  line 
of  the  Burlington  from  Chicago  to  St.  Paul.  To  the  west 
and  southwest  the  tract  reaches  out  irregularly  over  the 
charming  Spring  \'alley  Branch  and  towards  the  little  vil- 
lage of  Stratford  on  the  Burlington,  not  far  from  the  larger 
sources  of  the  "Branch."  As  defined  this  makes  the  entire 
tract  include  about  1,000  acres.  The  tract  is  owned  by  a 
number  of  individuals,  many  of  whom  purchased  their  hold- 
ings years  ago  in  small  timber  lots  of  from  five  to  sixty 
acres,  it  being  the  custom  in  an  early  day  thus  to  divide  up 
forest  area  for  use  in  conncttion  with  the  more  fertile  farm- 


46  Proposed  i'iirk  Jreus  of  lll/no/s 

\\v^  land  nt-ar.  lor  pasture,  tircwood.  and  the-  various  needs 
of  the  work  and  lite  on  the  farm. 

The  tract  is  traversed  by  Pine  Creek,  which  rising  farther 
up  in  Ogle  Count}-,  flows  in  a  winding  course  of  twenty- 
five  miles  and  empties  into  Rock  River  several  miles  from 
the  white  pine  forest  and  just  below  the  curious  bend  in  that 
river  at  Grand  Detour.  The  creek  is  a  most  picturesque 
stream  along  its  course  in  places  other  than  where  it  cuts 
through  the  forest,  but  here  it  reaches  the  height  of  its 
picturesque  beaut)-  and  variety  as  it  runs  by  the  high,  rocky, 
vine-and-flower-covered  banks,  mirroring  them  in  its  clear 
ripples  as  it  eddies  bv.  The  name  Pine  Creek  would  indi- 
cate that  pine  trees  prevailed  along  the  creek  at  the  time 
it  received  its  appellation.  Old  settlers,  who  came  to  the 
region  about  1840,  say  that  white  pines  were  found  then 
prettv  much  all  along  the  east  bank  of  the  creek  and  ex- 
tending out  to  a  breadth  of  sometimes  half  a  mile  and  more. 
It  is  chiefly  on  the  east  bank  that  the  white  pine  is  found 
now.  The  red  cedar  is  found  in  this  tract  also,  but  mainly 
on  the  west  side  of  the  creek.  The  American  yew,  or  ground 
hemlock,  the  third  evergreen  growing  in  this  tract,  is  found 
mostly  on  the  east  side  of  the  stream,  creeping  and  hanging 
in  long  dark  festoons  over  far  stretches  of  the  rocky  wall. 

In  October  the  brilliant  colors  of  the  hardwoods  (which 
are  intermixed  with  the  evergreens  over  most  of  this  tract) 
mingled  with  the  soft,  rich  green  of  the  white  pines  and  the 
young  growth  make  a  picture  of  entrancing  loveliness.  The 
white  jiine  and  red  cedar,  procured  from  Pine  Creek,  were 
planted  around  the  early  homes  of  the  settlers,  both  in  town 
and  country,  for  protection  from  the  fierce  storms,  and  for 
their  beaut}-,  too,  for  the  people  who  made  up  the  sturdy 
body  of  pioneers  had  not  lost  their  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful  things  in  life,  even  though  they  were  struggling 
with  the  stern  asperities  of  the  new  situation.  The  groups 
of  these  evergreens,  as  they  surround  the  homes  and  dot  the 
landscape,  are  today  an  evidence  of  the  houses  in  which  once 
lived  a  pioneer  family. 

Since  1903  an  effort  has  been  made  at  every  General 
.\ssembly,  save  the  one  during  the  Great  War,  to  have  the 
State  purchase  the  White  Pine  Forest  and  set  it  aside  as  a 
state  park,  establishing  therewith  a  forestry  experiment  sta- 


The  ]]'hdc  i'inc  Tnir/  47 

tion.  The  General  Assembh  of  1903,  when  "forestry  was 
in  the  air,"  passed  a  resolution  asking  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  to  make  an  examination  of  the  torests 
of  the  state,  with  recommendations  as  to  preserving  and 
propagating  them.  Mr.  R.  S.  Kellog  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau 
of  Forestry  (now  Forest  Service)  had  charge  of  this  exami- 
nation and  made  a  report  to  which  the  years  since  then 
have  only  given  additional  signiticance.  The  writer  is  con- 
tent to  close  this  article  with  the  following  quotation  from 
this  report : 

"The  tract  should  be  made  into  a  State  Forest  Reserve, 
since  it  is  the  onh-  white  pine  grove  in  the  state  and  shows 
excellent  prospects  of  enlarging  itself  by  natural  seeding — 
in  time,  perhaps,  overrunning  the  greater  part  of  the  tract — 
if  a  little  care  is  taken  to  cut  out  a  little  oak  now  and  then, 
as  the  young  pines  become  larger  and  denser.  The  natural 
beauties  are  exceptional.  Natural  conditions  are  favorable 
to  good  tree  growth.  The  present  forest  is  young,  and  evi- 
dently very  few  of  the  trees  in  it  are  over  seventy-five  years 
old.  In  a  rather  hurried  survey  the  following  species  were 
noted:  red  oak,  white  oak,  burr  oak.  scarlet  oak,  chinquapin 
oak.  white  elm.  slipper}-  elm,  large-tooth  aspen,  quaking 
aspen,  sugar  maple,  box  elder,  hornbeam,  hop  hornbeam, 
red  mulberry,  black  walnut,  butternut,  shagbark  hickory, 
pignut  hickor}',  mocker-nut  hickory,  sycamore,  white  ash. 
black  ash.  choke  cherry,  black  cherr}-.  wild  plum,  basswood, 
hop  tree,  black  willow,  Juneberry,  white  pine,  red  cedar. 

"The  interesting  feature  of  the  proposed  reserve  is  the 
small  forest  of  white  pine,  which  is  unique  for  Illinois  and 
represents  the  southernmost  extension  of  the  species  in  this 
section  of  the  United  States.  (This  does  not  take  into 
consideration  the  scattered  groups  of  white  pines  in  Starved 
Rock  State  Park.)  The  maximum  height  of  the  pine  is  go 
feet  and  the  largest  diameter,  breast  high,  about  30  inches. 
A  long  distance  in  the  tract  from  the  nearest  pine  tree  one 
finds  patches  of  }oung  pine  so  tlense  as  to  be  almost  impene- 
trable, while  smaller  numbers  and  individual  young  trees 
are  scattered  about  ever}  where.  A  tew  years  of  care  and 
good  management  would  make  this  tract  a  beautiful  spot 
and  a  fine  object  lesson  in  forest  preservation  and  regenera- 
tion." 


Starved  Rock  State  Park 


starved  Rock  and  the  Illinois  River 


starved  Rock  from  Lover's  Leap 


starved  Rock 

Starved  Rock  State  Park 

Horace  Hull 

Starved  Rock  State  Park  with  its  rare  beauty  and  his- 
toric appeal  is  an  accomplished  tact  and  requires  no  detailed 
description  for  this  report.  It  is  for  the  purpose  of  recom- 
mending the  more  adequate  conservation  ot  some  of  its 
notable  features  and  for  incorporating  with  it  other  and 
near-by  areas  equally  noble  and  appealing  in  aspect  that  I 
submit  this  informal  contribution  to  the  Report  upon  Pro- 
posed State  Parks  for  Illinois. 

The  enclosed  sketch  shows  the  present  boundaries  of  the 
park  and  the  timber  and  other  tracts  adjacent  to  it,  which 
I  deem  not  only  beneficial  but  absolutely  necessary  to  be 
made  part  of  the  park  in  order  to  protect  the  adjoining  land- 
scape now  within  the  park  boundaries.  Practically  all  of 
the  land  I  suggest  acquiring  lies  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
tract  authorized  by  the  original  act  creating  the  park  to  be 
obtained  but,  owing  to  lack  of  funds,  was  left  out. 

Tract  A  extends  the  full  length  of  the  extreme  eastern 
end  of  the  park  and  along  the  bottom  land  is  covered  with 


52 


Fro  posed  Wirk  Areas  of  UHno'/s 


The.  c^i5lat£.r  ^tarvxd  Rock   Arz/A 


a  beautiful  grove  of  walnut  and  oak.  This  property  is  used 
very  extensively  as  picnic  grounds  and  its  timber  covering 
would  afford  a  very  desirable  eastern  boundary  to  the  park. 
The  land  adjoining  in  the  park  is  bare  of  timber  and  a  large 
area  of  it  has  been  used  as  a  borrow  pit  in  the  construction 
of  the  new  Chicago-Peoria-St.  Louis  cement  highway.  On 
the  bluff  there  is  a  dense  grove  of  timber  and  shrubbery, 
which,  if  cut,  would  absolutely  ruin  the  beauty  of  the  eastern 
wall  of  the  Illinois  canyon.  The  present  boundary  line 
runs  very  close  to  the  edge  of  the  canyon  and  in  the  place 
indicated  dips  down  into  the  can3on.  This  timber  covering 
is  very  narrow,  but  from  below  appears  like  a  dense  forest 
and  makes  a  charming  border  for  the  rocky  wall  of  the  Illi- 
nois canyon.  The  immediate  obtaining  of  this  tract  is  of 
the  most  imperative  necessity. 

Tract  B  is  also  heavih'  timbered  and  some  of  the  best 
rock  formations  in  Ottawa  and  Kaskaskia  canyons  are  on 
the  tract  just  outside  of  the  present  park  line.  In  fact  the 
highest  falls  in  each  of  these  canyons  is  just  inside  of  the 
boundary  and  in  order  to  pass  around  the  canyon,  the  trails 
are  laid  on  private  property,  anil  are  liable  to  be  closed  at 
any  time. 

Tract  C.  In  order  to  accommodate  the  Federal  Aid  con- 
crete road,  this  tract  as  indicated  has  already  been  purchased 
and  that  road  (which  never  should  have  gone  through  the 
park),  is  completed  through  the  tract. 


Starved  Rock  State  Park  53 

Tract  1).  The  present  park  limit  at  the  point  marked,  D 
passes  through  a  splendid  tract  of  timber,  mostly  lying  just 
south  of  the  park  boundar}-.  The  cutting  awa}-  of  this 
timber  will  most  seriously  injure  the  beautiful  and  very  un- 
usual miniature  mountainous  effect  of  the  landscape  as  the 
visitors  pass  around  the  edge  of  La  Salle  and  Tonti  canyons. 

Tract  E.  By  straightening  the  park  lines  as  indicated 
the  park  would  acquire,  not  only  some  hne  timber,  but  also 
the  site  of  the  old  earthen  fortifications,  an  outline  of  which 
can  still  be  seen  at  the  point  indicated  with  an  X  on  the 
sketch.  At  point  F  the  right  of  way  owned  by  the  park, 
and  leading  out  to  the  south  entrance,  passes  through  some 
fine  timber  and  why  it  was  not  acquired  in  the  beginning 
I  cannot  conceive. 

Again  it  might  be  stated  tliat  these  valleys,  the  valley 
of  Illinois  Canyon  and  Kaskaskia  and  Ottawa  Canyons 
above  the  Falls,  are  wide,  open,  flat-bottomed  valleys  carry- 
ing fine  groves  of  timber,  and  are  very  beautiful,  especially 
in  the  spring  when  they  are  covered  with  wild  flowers.  The 
character  of  the  timber  in  these  flat-bottomed  valleys  is  dif- 
ferent from  that  in  the  canyons,  and  they  ought  to  be  pre- 
served in  their  original  character.  The  same  statement 
holds  true  in  regard  to  the  upper  parts  of  La  Salle  and  Tonti 
canyons  as  included  in  Tract  D. 

The  Are.a  West  of  the  Present  Park 

In  outlining  the  features,  physiographic  and  otherwise, 
of  the  area  west  of  the  present  park,  I  take  the  liberty  of 
incorporating  herewith  a  memorandum  kind!)  prepared  for 
that  purpose  b}-  Professor  Ulysses  S.  Grant  of  Northwestern 
University.     Professor  Grant  writes  as  follows: 

Lying  just  west  of  the  present  limits  of  the  park  and  ex- 
tending for  a  distance  of  two  miles  to  the  vicinity  of  Little 
Rock,  is  a  series  of  rough  canyons  very  similar  to  those  in 
the  park.  While  it  may  not  be  necessary  to  acquire  all  of 
this  tract  of  land  between  the  present  limits  of  the  park  and 
Little  Rock  it  would  be  wise  to  acquire  the  canyon  which 
lies  to  the  south  and  southeast  of  it.  Little  Rock  is  a  bold 
mass  of  sandstone  extending  out  into  the  valley,  and  corre- 
.sponding  to  Split  Rock  on  the  north  side  of  the  river.   These 


Proposed  i'lirk  Areas  of  III/ikj/s 


Island  and  Flood  Plain  from  Starved  iioek 

two — Little  Rock  and  Split  Rock — form  part  of  the  most 
interesting  portions  of  the  geolog}-  of  the  district,  for  they 
show  clearly  the  steep  westerly  dip  of  the  sandstone  near 
the  crest  of  but  just  west  of  the  axis  of  the  La  Salle  anti- 
cline. This  anticline  is  the  main  structural  feature  of  the 
state,  and  extends  from  the  Wisconsin  border  southeast  to 
Crawford  and  Clark  counties,  where  it  conditions  the  ac- 
cumulation of  the  vast  quantities  of  oil  and  gas  for  which 
Illinois  is  famous.  This  anticline  is  cut  in  two  by  the  valley 
of  the  Illinois  River,  and  the  section  here  exposed  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  and  most  instructive  in  the  whole  state. 
Here  also  are  found  the  oldest  rocks  which  are  exposed  in 
the  state,  and  the  whole  history  of  this  great  fold  in  the 
earth's  crust  can  be  worked  out  from  the  exposures  seen  on 
both  sides  of  the  river  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Little 
Rock  and  Split  Rock.  It  is  due  to  this  fold  that  Coal  Num- 
ber 2  (locally  known  as  the  Third  ^'ein  Coal)  passes  rapidly 
from  the  elevation  of  600  feet  above  sea  level,  as  shown  by 
its  outcrop  at  Little  Rock  and  Split  Rock,  to  a  depth  of  500 
lower  in  the  vicinity  of  La  Salle. 

Part  of  this  Little  Rock  district  has  alreadv  been    im- 


Starved  Rock  State  Park 


J)  J) 


Doer  Park  Canyon 

proved  by  the  Matthie^on  estate,  and  is  in  line  sliape  for 
park  uses. 

Deer  Park 

This  tract  has  been  beautified  by  the  Matthieson  estate 
and  is  without  question  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  if  not  the 
most  beautiful   park  area   in  the  whole  state.   Deer  Park 


56  Piof)osccl  Park  Areas  of  lU'/no/s 

CaiiNon  rivals  in  hcaur_\  and  tlcpth  the  tinest  and  largest 
ot  the  canvons  in  the  Star\ ed  Rcx-k  Park.  There  are  several 
small  side  canyons  which  are  exceedingly  beautitul  and  the 
whole  area  has  been  well  laid  our  m  trails  and  nian\  im- 
provements have  been  made. 

Just  to  the  south  of  Deer  Park  proper  are  other  can)ons 
of  a  wild  and  almost  inaccessible  nature,  which  ought  also  to 
be  included  in  this  [)ark. 

Bailey's  Falls 

One  of  the  great  industries  in  this  La  Salle  district  is 
the  manufacture  of  Portland  Cement.  This  is  made  possi- 
ble b}'  the  presence  of  a  limestone  of  the  proper  composition 
known  as  the  La  Salle  limestone.  This  limestone  forma- 
tion is  more  resistent  to  erosion  than  the  other  rocks  imme- 
diately adjoining  it  and  it  consequently  makes  steep  cliffs 
along'the  \'ermilion  River.  A  few  small  streams  entering 
the  valley  of  the  \Vrmilion  tumble  over  these  cliffs.     The 


S/jrvcii  Rock  State  Park 


57 


most  picturesque  ot  these  waterfalls  is  that  of  Bailey's 
Creek,  which  enters  the  \'ermilion  River  near  the  center  of 
Section  6  of  \'ermilion  Township.  Here  great  masses  of 
heavy  limestone  have  been  detached  from  the  cliffs  and  have 
fallen  in  confusion  into  \'ermilion  Gorge.  A  few  acres  sur- 
rounding these  falls  are  rough  and  almost  useless  for  farm- 
ing purposes,  but  would  add  a  spot  of  marked  beauty  to  the 
state  park. 

Summari'/ing.  it  is  proposed  that  the  State  ot  Illinois 
acquire  approximately  loo  acres  immediately  adjacent 
to  the  boundaries  of  the  present  Starved  Rock  State  Park, 
and  that  to  this  area  be  added  the  district  of  Little  Rock 
Canyon.  Deer  Park  with  its  notable  series  of  canyons,  and 
the  Bailey's  Falls  district,  approximating  in  all  looo 
acres.  It  is  eminently  fitting  that  a  Greater  Starved  Rock 
Park  be  thus  created  and  become  the  notable  possession  of 
the  State  of  Illinois. 


Bailev's  Falls,  Starved  Rock  Park 


An  Illinois  River  Valley  Park 


The  SixMiii  ]\ivcr  below  Bcniadotte 


In  the  Spoon  River  Country 


The  Spoon  Rivor  at  Beniadotte 


An  Illinois  River  Valley  Park 

Theodork  Jf.ssup 


Th/.<  report  has  to  do  only  •zc/t//  J  park  pro]cct  for  the 
Middle  Illinois  River  Volley.  Upper  Illinois  Rreer  Willey 
has  Starved  Rock  Park.,  and  along  this  same  section  of  the 
river,  from  LaSalle  to  Peoria,  there  are  a  number  of  possi- 
bilities for  parks  of  beauty  and  significance,  hoiver  Illinois 
River  Valley  might  well  have  a  state  park,  especially  where 
Calhoun  County  lies  wedged  between  the  Illinois  River  and 
the  Mississippi.  T'his  is  brought  out  well  in  Dr.  Cowles' 
description  of  the  Piasa  Bluffs  area  in  the  article  entitled 
State  Parks'  'possibilities  along  the  Mississippi  River  -which 
appears  elsezvhere  in  the  Report.  For  geographical  reasons 
the  Havana  Region  was  selected  to  represent  State  Parks' 
possibilities  in  the  Middle  Illinois  River  Valley. 

Havana.  Mason  Count},  is  situated  on  the  southeast  bank 
of  the  Illinois  river,  forty  miles  by  rail  southwest  of  Peoria. 
The  Illinois  ri\er  Hows  in  a  southwesterh'  clirecrion  from 


()1  FroJuAWi/  I'jfk  Areas  of  Ul/nois 

IVoria  ami  winds  through  Icxcl  bottom  lainl>  honlcrcci  b\ 
bluti's  from  thirt)-  to  one  hundred  teet  in  height.  The  eleva- 
tion of  this  river  bottom  is  about  450  feet  above  sea  level. 
The  lands  adjaeent  on  both  sides  vary  from  500  to  750 
feet.  One  point  immediately  above  Peoria  is  over  800  feet 
and  another  half  way  to  Havana  is  777  feet  high.  The 
bluff,  usually  clay,  rising  from  the  valley  is  quite  sharply 
dehned.  There  is  a  similarity  between  the  easterly  side  of 
this  river  bluff,  which  extends  for  many  miles  upstream 
and  downstream  from  Ha\ana,  and  the  east  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  from  Michigan  City  to  St.  Joseph.  The  fringe 
of  tree  growth,  the  elevation,  and  the  clay  bank  intermixed 
with  .sand,  are  quite  the  same  except  that  the  varieties  ot 
trees  differ  in  part.  Mason  County,  like  Berrien  County, 
Michigan,  has  a  sandy  soil  and  veritable  sand  dunes,  some 
of  them  quite  distant  from  the  river.  The  opposite  side  of 
the  Illinois  in  Fulton  County  is  quite  free  from  sand. 

The   Lakes 

The  valley  bottom  between  the  mouth  ot  the  Sangamon, 
some  twenty-tive  miles  down  stream,  and  Peoria  contains  a 
number  of  depressions,  possibly  survivals  of  old  river  beds 
which  were  abandoned  b}  the  shifting  stream.  These  de- 
pressions which  are  connected  with  the  main  stream  and 
are  tilled  by  its  backwater  are  known  as  lakes.  Occasionally 
small  streams  or  springs  flow  into  them  and  thus  keep  their 
water  from  being  stagnant.  In  a  natural  state  these  lakes 
are  separated  from  the  main  stream  by  strips  ot  land  cov- 
ered with  trees  and  shrubs.  At  Havana  the  main  stream 
comes  near  the  bluff  so  that  river  boats  have  a  wharf  at 
which  to  stop.  There  is  no  other  point  for  many  miles  in 
either  direction  where  bluff  and  river  are  so  related  to  each 
other. 

About  three  miles  downstream  on  the  Havana  side  be- 
gins one  of  the  lakes  known  as  Lake  Matanzas.  A  small 
brook  rtows  from  the  back  prairies  down  into  its  upper  end, 
through  a  forested  ravine.  The  lake  is  about  four  miles 
long  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide.  The  bluff  fronting  the 
lake  is  from   ^"o  to  7^-  feet  high  and  is  covered  with  trees 


J/?  lll/iKJ/s  River  ]' alley  Pdtk  63 


(second  growth  tor  the  most  part)  which  extend  inhind  from 
a  few  rods  to  half  a  mile.  The  opposite  side  of  the  lake 
from  the  bluff  is  a  low,  tree-covered  strip  of  land,  beyond 
which  is  the  main  stream  of  the  river.  Two  or  three  miles 
awa}-  beyond  rise  the  bluffs  of  Fulton  County  side  of  the 
valley.  Many  cottages  have  been  built  on  the  bluff  facing 
Lake  Matanzas  and  in  summer  it  is  a  much  frequented  re- 
sort. Houseboats,  motor  boats  and  rowboats  find  here  an 
almost  ideal  water  condition  for  their  use. 

Going  in  the  opposite  direction  from  Havana,  one  passes 
first   an   attractive   Chautauqua   park   with    its   customary 


64  l'ro/>o.W(/  l\irk  Areas  at  lll/nois 

asscmhl}'  aiui  rt'crt'atitJnal  huiUliii^s,  also  on  the  bliiH. 
Beyond  this  is  another  lake  called  Quiver  Lake.  Here,  too, 
a  long  row  ot  cottages — a  mile  or  two  in  extent — front  on 
the  quiet  water.  Quite  near  a  part  ot  another  river  bottom 
lake  is  being  surrounded  by  a  dike  and  will  eventually  be 
drained.  Opposite  this  bluff  a  mile  or  so  away  on  the 
northwest  side  of  the  river  can  be  seen  the  water  ot  Thomp- 
son's Lake.  Thompson's  is  the  largest  ot  these  backwater 
lakes,  is  upwards  of  ten  miles  long,  and  is  destined  to  be 
drained  and  its  bottom  and  adjacent  lands  converted  into 
farming  land.  These  reclaimed  lands  can  only  be  drained 
and  kept  free  from  water  by  pumping. 

Havana  residents  are  of  the  opinion  that  Quiver  Lake 
and  ALitanzas  Lake  are  in  no  danger  of  being  exploited  in 
the  same  way.  It  is  probable  that  these  lakes  are  respon- 
sible for  the  wonderful  abundance  of  river  tish.  Havana 
is  famous  as  one  of  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest,  shipper 
of  river  iish  in  the  country.  Its  residents  even  declare  that 
planked  "Lake  Superior"  white  fish,  which  easily  takes  iirst 
place  as  the  choicest  fish  food  served  at  Chicago  restaurants, 
quite  probably  is  Illinois  River  carp  shipped  from  Havana, 
Illinois. 

Spoon  Riner 

Immediately  opposite  Havana,  coming  in  from  a  north- 
erly and  westerly  direction  is  the  Spoon  River.  This  stream 
is  about  as  large  as  the  Des  Plaines  at  Riverside  or  the 
Du  Page  at  Plainfield.  Its  eroded  valley  is  from  half  a 
mile  to  a  mile  wide  and  fifty  miles  long.  The  bottom  lands 
are  for  the  most  part  dry  and  farmed.  At  this  season  ot  the 
year  the  stream  is  an  inoffensive  large-sized  brook  of  quiet 
charm  winding  in  and  out  in  graceful  curves  from  one  side 
of  the  valley  to  the  other.  Its  bluff  boundaries  are  from 
50  to  150  feet  above  the  stream.  Evidentl}-  these  bluffs 
were  once  heavily  wooded,  but  are  now  largely  denuded. 
Here  and  there  the  roads  climb  to  the  top  of  the  bluffs  and 
one  gets  far-sweeping  views  up  and  down  and  across  the 
valley  that  are  similar  to  those  along  the  Rock  River  at 
Grand  Detour  and  Oregon.  Enough  trees  are  left  to  give 
variety  to  the  lantl-M-ape  but  there   is  nothing  like  so  well 


An  lUnw'/s  River  \' alley  Park  6^ 

preserved  a  survival  ot  early  forest  conditions  as  along  the 
eastern  and  southern  sides  ot  the  Illinois  river.  No  better 
illustration  could  be  found  anywhere  of  the  destructive  re- 
sults which  follow  destroying  the  tree  growth  on  such  bluffs 
in  an  endeavor  to  make  farm  lands  of  them,  for  gullying 
is  already  eating  back  into  the  fields  which  have  been  made 
from  these  once  forested  hillsides. 

A  PioNi: i:r  \'ili.age 

One  ancient  village,  Bernadotte,  some  titteen  miles  north- 
west of  Havana,  should,  like  Channahon,  near  Joliet,  in 
Will  County,  be  preserved  just  as  it  is  by  the  State  His- 
torical Societ}-.  Houses  and  a  mill,  built  before  the  days 
of  railroads,  and  to  which  a  railroad  has  never  come  to  this 
daj%  resemble  the  half-abandoned  villages  in  New  England 
and  New  York  hill  regions. 

Indi.vn  Mounds 

Just  below  Havana  at  a  ]H)int  where  the  main  stream  of 
the  Illinois  comes  near  the  blutf  are  two  Indian  mounds  of 
such  size  as  to  make  their  preservation  important.  The  one 
examined  is  apparently  twenty  feet  high  and  seventii-five 
teet  long.  Some  dirt  at  the  north  end  has  been  dug  out 
of  this,  but  not  enough  to  mar  its  original  outlines.  Stand- 
ing as  it  does  at  the  top  of  a  bluff  of  fifty  feet  washed  by 
the  river  its  value  as  a  lookout  station  can  readily  be  under- 
stood. Oaks  at  least  150  years  old  are  growing  on  its  top 
and  sloping  sides.  The  second  mound  looked  from  a  dis- 
tance to  be  eqvial  in  size  and  was  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  farther  downstream.  The  first  one  is  inclosed  in  a 
picnic  ground  owned  by  a  railroad.  This  picnic  ground 
contains  only  a  few  acres  and  is  no  longer  used  for  excursion 
purposes.  The  second  mound  is  on  private  property. 
Within  the  Chautauqua  grounds  adjoining  Havana  on  the 
east  are  two  other  round  mounds,  perhaps  four  feet  high. 
These  are  not  protected  except  that  they  are  on  inclosed 
grounds  which  are  onl}-  occasionally  used. 

In  my  opinion  the  whole  shore  line  of  the  Illinois  River, 
extending  for  nearly  a  hundred  miles,  from  Peoria  to  the 


66  Proposed  I'urk  Areas  of  lUinois 

inouth  ot  thf  Sangamon  River,  slu)uld  be  })re.served  either 
as  a  State  Park  or  included  in  the  [proposed  forest  preserve 
s_\stem.  Perhaps  a  thorough  examination  \\'ould  also  in- 
clude some  parts  ot  the  Spoon  River  \'alle}'. 


The  Effingham  Prairie  Park 


A   Coriifr  dl'  Lake   I\aiiana 


\V()o<llaiiiI  Scene,  looking-  Nortli 


Little  Wabash  River  Dam  and  Bridge  on  "National  Old 
Trails  Road,"  looking  Northwest 


The  Effingham  Prairie  Park 

Jesse  L.  Smith 

The  geo^Taphic  situation  ot  Effingham  with  its  intersect- 
ing railroads  and  well-built  motor  highways  makes  it 
possible  to  serve  a  large  area,  whether  it  be  tor  business  or 
tor  pleasure.  The  Penns3'lvania  Railroad  and  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  cross  at  Effingham.  The  Wabash  has  a 
line  into  the  city  and  the  Indianapolis  branch  ot  the  Illinois 
Central  has  its  terminus  there.  It  has  a  daily  passenger 
service  of  22  trains.  Seven  hard  roads  pass  through  or 
radiate  from  Effingham,  including  the  National  Old  Trails 
Road,  a  magnificent  example  of  modern  road  building,  con- 
necting Terre  Haute,  Effingham,  \'andalia  and  St.  Louis; 
the  Egyptian  Trail  running  north  and  south  in  the  county, 
a  distance  of  1 2  miles  each  wa}'  from  Effingham ;  the  Effing- 
ham-Newton-Robinson  Trail  running  southeasterh"  through 
the  county,  etc.  Facilities  of  this  sort  make  Effingham 
comparatively  easy  of  access  from  such  cities  as  Mattoon, 
Charleston,   Shelb-\ville.   \'anda!ia.   and   Marshall,    for  ex- 


70  I'/opo.wt/  I'urk  Areas  ot  Ul/nots 

ani[)lf,  and  make  ir  possiblt-  ro  include  it  a.s  an  objfcrive 
point  on  motoring  trips  from  St.  Louis  to  Terre  Haute  or 
to  Chicago  by  way  of  Danville  or  Champaign,  etc.  For 
reasons  of  this  sort  and  because  of  natural  advantages  to 
be  outlined  later  it  seems  to  the  writer  feasible  to  create  a 
park  of  2,000  or  niiire  acres  near  Effingham,  this  to  include 


a  bit  of  t}pical  Hat  [)rairic  Ian, I  and  a  rolimg  wooded  area 
bordering  upon  the  Little  Wabash  River. 

The  tract  of  hind  which  commended  itself  in  the  course 
of  a  preliminary  survey  of  the  area  lies  immediately  west 
;uid  sovithwest  of  Effingham  along  the  Little  Wabash  River. 
I'sing  local  terminology  it  can  be  described  as  follows: 

1.  In  the  township  adjoining  on  the  west  the  one  in 
which  Effingham  is  situated,  all  of  sections  2^  and  16  which 


Effiiu/Juii/i  Prairie 


71 


Little   Waliash   \alh'y  Bottoms 

lies  east  of  the  Little  Wabash  and  bordering  upon  it.  This 
is  about  1,000  acres,  is  mostly  woodland,  and  gives  about 
three  miles  ot  river  frontage. 

2.  In  the  township  in  whieli  Etfingham  is  situated,  all 
or  the  major  portions  of  sections  30  and  31.  Some  of  this 
is  wooded,  most  of  it  is  of  prairie  type  and  under  cultivation 
except  one  pasture  which  has  never  been  touched  by  the 
plow.  The  combined  area  of  this  and  the  first-named  tract 
exceeds  2.000  acres. 

The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  closel}  paralleled  b)-  the 
National  Old  Trails  Road  crosses  the  projiosed  park  in  a 
somewhat  southwesterly  direction  beginning  at  almost  the 
middle  point  of  the  east  boundary.  This  divides  the  park 
into  a  north  and  a  south  part  which  can  easily  be  connected 
by  a  winding  road  passing  under  one  of  the  arches  of  the 
imposing  bridge  which  carries  the  railroad  across  a  narrow 
portion  of  the  \alle)  ar  a  high  level  above  the  channel  of 
the  river.  For  con\ cniencc  of  description  the  portions  ot 
the  park  north  and  south  ot  the  roadways  will  be  referred 
to  respectively  as  the  north  tract  and  the  south  tract. 

The  winding  valley  of  the  Little  Wabash  River  is  about 
a  half  mile  wide  and  bordered  by  wooded  bluffs  rising  thirty 
or  fort\'  feet  above  the  Hood  plain  traversed  b}-  the  river. 
Most  of  the  broad  flood  plain  in  the  north  tract  is  cleared 


/^ 


i'loposcil  Wirk  Areas  of  lllmo/.\ 


and  under  cultivation.  A  wagon  bridge  crosses  the  river 
near  the  north  edge  ot  this  tract.  Here  the  river  makes  a 
long  detour  to  the  west  and  at  one  point  it  would  be  com- 
paratively eas}-  to  teed  an  artificial  lake  ot  twenty  or  more 
acres  on  the  tiood  plain  around  which  the  river  loops.  This 
same  lake  would  also  receive  the  water  trom  the  spillway 
from  Lake  Kanaga  to  be  reterred  to  in  the  descrijition  of 
the  south  tract. 

There  is  a  farm  house  picturescjuely  situated  in  a  clearing 
anion"  the  forest  trees  along  the  bluft  in  the  north  tract  and 


Proposed  Lake  Site,  looking  East 

here  and  there  are  beautiful  wooded  ravines  opening  out  on 
the  plain  below.  A  dam  in  the  river  near  the  railroad  bridge, 
originally  placed  there  to  insure  a  water  supply  tor  the  city 
of  Effingham,  maintains  at  all  times  a  satisfactor\-  water 
level  in  the  river  up  to  and  beyond  the  bridge  at  the  north 
boundary  ot  the  tract. 

The  south  tract  is  locally  reterred  to  as  the  Austin  estate 
and  has  on  it  a  tine  well-built  house  with  farm  buildings. 
The  original  wooded  area  has  been  much  cut  over  and 
pastured  but  second  growth  is  vigorous  and  promising.  Here 
and  there  in  this  and  the  tract  above  described  there  are 
small  springs  which  can  be  utilized  and  connected  with  toot- 
rrails.     Besides  this  the  water  nKlin^  ot  the  cit\    ot  Effing- 


Effimjlij/N  i^ra/i/c 


73 


ham  and  rlu-  power  transmission  lines  ot  an  electric  plant 
cross  the  tract,  thus  insuring  water,  light  and  power  at  con- 
\  enient  places. 

In  this  south  tract  there  is  an  artificial  lake  ot  twelve 
acres  called  Lake  Kanaga.  It  is  spring-ted,  deep  and  clear, 
and  occupies  the  winding  channel  of  an  ancient  stream  bed. 
It  has  been  so  long  established  and  tits  in  so  well  with  its 
surroundings  that  its  artiticial  origin  is  not  readily  apparent. 
\\'ild  fowl  resort  to  it  during  migration.  It  is  a  picturesque 
asset  of  the  proposed  park.  A  considerable  portion  of  this 
south  tract  is  forested,  with  wide  grassy  open  places  and 
the  fiood  plain  is  meadow-like  and  dotted  with  hawthorns 
and  thickets  of  wild  crab  trees.  In  the  forest  are  included 
such  trees  as  the  white,  bur,  pin,  red,  black  jack  and  post 
oaks,  s}-camore,  black  walnut,  shagbark  and  bitter  nut 
hickories,  hackberr}',  red  and  sugar  maples,  sassafras,  red 
bud,  mulberry,  large  flowering  dogwood,  etc.  Certain  rep- 
resentative specimens  of  the  flora  of  a  peculiarly  southern 
aspect  which  characterizes  that  of  extreme  southern  Illinois 
are  said  to  have  followed  up  the  valley  of  such  streams  as 
the  Embarrass  and  Little  Wabash  to  within  thirty  or  forty 
miles  of  the  proposed  park.  The  range  of  such  plants  could 
doubtless  be  extended  by  cultivation  to  the  area  of  the  pro- 
posed park  preserve.     This  opens  up  very  interesting  pos- 


Lako  Kanaga,  looking  East,  Showing  Soufh  Shore 


/4  Vrol>iJsc(l  Wirk  Areas  oj  lllnio/s 

sibilities  a.s  dors  tlic  opportunit}  ot  restoring  to  a  si-niblance 
ot  primitive  eonduions  a  suitable  prairie  area  wirhiir  the 
park. 

In  submitting  the  reeomniendation  tor  a  state  park  in 
the  Effingham  area,  it  is  frankly  admitted  that  there  is 
nothing  unique  in  the  natural  setting  for  a  park  at  that  place. 
There  are  doubtless  other  places  with  the  same  simple 
beauty  and  equally  as  attractive  whose  claims  might  be  con- 
sidered. It  is  maintained,  however,  that  its  accessibility 
sets  a  peculiar  premium  upon  this  particular  natural  setting. 
A  park  developed  here  after  the  manner  suggested,  with  its 
prairie  and  woodland  and  bottom  land  flora,  its  small  lakes, 
its  springs  and  water  courses,  its  protected  wild  life,  its 
camps  and  recreation  centers,  would  serve  for  the  whole- 
some diversion,  the  education,  and  the  spiritual  refreshment 
of  people  within  a  wide  area  of  the  state. 


Marsh  Lands  and  Drainage 
Projects  of  Illinois 


111  many  places  the  tiinlicr  is  dying  in  the  Kankakee 
district  for  lack  of  water.  This  photograph  was  taken 
during-  the  last  week  in  July,  1921.  Note  that  there  are 
no  leaves  on  the  trees. 


Little  Beaver  Ijake,  now  sand  and  thistles 


One  of  tlu'  (litt'lies  through  the  Kankakee  District  which 
removed  both  surface  and  underground  water 

Marsh  Lands  and  Drainage 
Projects  of  Illinois 

.Tkssi;  L.  Smith 

Within  the  borders  of  Illinois  there  are  many  lake  and 
marsh  areas  whose  beaut}  and  appeal  to  nature  lovers 
should  be  recognized  in  the  organization  of  state  parks.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  there  is  no  area  of  this  kind  in 
Illinois,  no  matter  how  beautiful,  which  has  not  at  some 
time  or  another  been  held  up  to  public  attention  as  a  possible 
drainage  project,  either  by  some  engineer  intent  upon  a  job 
or  some  statesman  desirous  of  demonstrating  his  interest  in 
increasing  the  prosperity  of  the  state.  In  the  light  of  the 
disastrous  experiences  of  other  states,  notabl)  Indiana,  Wis- 
consin, and  Minnesota,  where  marsh  areas  of  economic  sig- 
nificance in  their  natural  condition  have  at  public  expense 
been  transformed  through  drainage  projects  into  waste  land, 
the  people  of  Illinois  may  well  withhold  authorization  of 
indiscriminate  projects  of  that  sort. 

There  are  undoubtedly  in  Illinois  many  marsh  areas 
whose  economic  importance  as  fountain  heads  for  springs 


7<S  l'ro/>osr(/  Wirk  Areas  of  llltiio/s 


and  wells  within  a  wide  radius,  and  whose  value  as  the 
home  of  fish  and  fur-bearing  animals  and  ot  water  fowl, 
greatly  outweigh  their  possible  value  as  raw  land.  To  the 
economic  loss  b}-  their  destruction  should  be  added  the 
spiritual  loss  felt  by  every  nature-loving  man,  woman,  and 
child  when  such  wild  beauty  passes  out  of  existence. 

It  has  not  been  possible  to  make  for  this  report  even  a 
tentative  survey  of  the  more  significant  marsh  arca>  ot  the 
state  but  one  such  area  will  be  brought  forward  for  general 
mention  and  to  this  will  be  added  extended  quotations  from 
a  report  upon  the  Kankakee  drainage  district. 

As  a  type  of  the  marsh  land  occurring  along  the  Missis- 
sippi in  Illinois  the  Lima  Lake  area,  eighteen  miles  north 
of  O'.iincy  seems  especialh'  notable.  Mr.  T.  E.  Musselman 
who  has  explored  the  river  in  a  skiff  from  St.  Paul  to  St. 
Louis  believes  this  particular  area  has  the  greatest  possibili- 
ties as  a  wild  life  s^nctuar^■  alonu  that  stretch  ot  the  river. 


Mdisli  Lunds  uf  \Un}(>/i  /() 

l-'roni  hi>  notes  as  well  as  those  turni>hed  b\  Mr.  O.  1). 
Prank  and  by  Mr.  Ensminger,  a  well-intormed  farmer  who 
has  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Lima  Lake  for  the  past  forty-tive 
3ears  the  following  description  has  been  prepared. 

The  Lima  Lake  area  contains  13,320  acres,  the  lake 
proper  co\ering  about  5,000  acres.  The  lake  is  rather 
shallow  with  marshy  extremities  and  indentations  of  that 
nature  along  its  sides.  It  lies  back  from  the  Mississippi 
about  two  miles  but  is  believed  to  be  connected  with  it  by 
subterranean  channels,  this  seeming  to  explain  the  tendency 
of  its  water  level  to  remain  stationary. 

The  bottom  lands  of  the  area  were  original  I  v  covercil 
with  forests  ot  yellow  birch,  sycamore,  willow,  ash.  silver 
and  red  maple,  black  walnut,  pecan,  persimmon,  hackberry, 
Kentuck}'  coffee  tree,  etc.,  with  papaw,  sumach,  hawthorn, 
buttonball  bush,  and  many  other  species  of  small  trees  and 
shrubs  as  undergrowth.  The  limestone  bluffs  just  back  of 
the  lake  were  covered  with  w^hite  oak,  red  oak,  black  oak, 
hickory,  linden,  mulberry  and  other  notable  forest  trees. 
Much  of  the  above  timber  still  remains  both  in  the  bottom 
land  near  the  lake  and  on  the  bluffs  farther  back. 

The  shores  ot  the  lake  are  difficult  of  access  but  those 
who  have  explored  its  surface  report  the  great  luxuriance 
ot  plant  life — reeds  and  giant  grasses,  water  arum,  pickerel 
weed,  golden  club,  mud  plantain,  with  acres  and  acres  of 
water  lilies.  The  open  water,  the  fringing  marsh,  and  the 
forests  of  bottom  land  and  hillside  make  it  an  itfeal  haven 
for  birdlife  of  the  greatest  variety.  Old  naturalists  tell  of 
the  nesting  ot  swans  there  man}-  years  ago.  The  white 
pelicans  rest  there  on  their  northern  migrations.  Cormo- 
rants, cranes,  herons,  and  geese  and  wild  ducks  of  manv 
species  are  common  there  during  migration,  and  rails,  coots, 
herons,  bitterns,  and  several  species  of  wild  ducks  including 
the  wood  duck  nest  there.  The  lake  could  be  made  an  ex- 
cellent  fish    preserve. 

The  whole  area  is  in  a  drainage  district  and  ditches  have 
been  started.  While  it  would  seem  that  eff()rt^  of  this  sort 
would  be  largely  futile  in  this  particular  instance,  it  is  very 
probable  that  large  j)(>rtion-  ot  the  area  wouki  lo-e  their 
character  and  great  harm  be  done  while  the  experiment  was 


So  Vroposcil  Park  Areas  of  lll/nois 


I 


A  desert  where  formerly  existed  a  Sports- 
man's Paradise 


in  progress.  There  is  a  great  difference  between  a  natural 
marsh  and  a  tract  of  waste  land  of  no  benefit  to  man,  which 
much  of  so-called  "reclaimed  land"  is  likely  to  be.  The 
Lima  Lake  countr)  should  be  kept  in  its  primitive  wildness 
and  beaut} . 

A  recent  issue  of  the  Bulletin  of  the  American  Gaine  Pro- 
tective Association  contained  a  significant  article  by  Mr.  A. 
Reywohl  on  mistakes  in  drainage  operations.  The  portion 
relating  to  the  Kankakee  drainage  district  seems  of  svich 
graxf  imiHirtance  for  Illinois  readers,  that  it  is  reprinted  in 
full. 

''One  of   the  nio'-t  notable  mistakes  in   tlrainagr  opera- 


Mars//  Lands  of  Illinois 


81 


\  .    .'iJiii'i  'ommmii^mmimm 


4MMM 


yi*^>jft^ir 


<>  ^.  - 1.  .:.>-^;?  '■. 


White  Sand— Part  of  tract  of  10,000 
acres  in  the  Kankakee  Districts  plowed 
and  planted  in  rye  in  ]9l!l.    Notliins;'  U'rcw. 


rions  is  that  ot  the  Kankakee  River  marsh  area  in  Indiana, 
tomierl}  one  of  the  most  noted  wild-fowl  breeding  and 
hunting  resorts  in  the  country.  'Lake  Kankakee,'  as  the 
river  formerly  was  known,  extended  from  the  Rocky  Reefs 
at  Monience,  Illinois,  nearly  to  Laporte,  Indiana,  forming  a 
region  of  river,  lake  and  marsh  land  over  hftv  miles  long 
and  from  five  to  ten  miles  wide.  Wild  ducks  and  wild  geese 
by  the  millions  annually  frequented  the  Kankakee  River 
marshes,  some  to  nest  and  rear  their  young,  and  others  to 
rest  and  feed  during  migration.  Thousands  of  sportsmen 
went  there  each  year  to  enjoy  the  health-giving  sport  of 


Hi  l'/o/>fj.wi/  l\irk  A  reus  of  ilhiuj/s 

liiiiuin;^,  and  \  ast  minibcrs  ot  tine  ^anic  bird>  were  added 
fo  rlic  \early  food  supply.  Fish  also  were  in  cxtceding 
abundance  wherever  water  existed — even  ditches  formed  by 
road  construction  contained  them  in  great  numbers.  Fur- 
bearing  animals,  too,  were  vet}'  numerous  and  gave  ()ccui)a- 
tion  to  hundreds  ot  trajipers,  who  dcrixcd  substantial  moiii}' 
returns. 

"On  the  Dajoha  marsh,  a  tract  of  4,000  acres,  muskrats 
formerly  were  verA  abimdant,  their  houses  being  as  thick  as 
hay  cocks  in  a  meadow.  Over  12,000  muskrats  were  taken 
from  this  marsh  during  the  trapping  season  of  1913.  The 
value  of  their  pelts,  at  prices  prevailing  a  little  over  a  year 
ago,  would  have  been  between  $)0,000  and  $60,000.  The 
marsh  was  drained  several  years  ago,  but  onh'  about  one 
lumdred  acres  have  ever  been  put  under  the  plow. 

"Here  and  there  were  large  lakes  having  a  depth  in  some 
cases  as  great  as  fourteen  to  sixteen  feet.  The  owners,  en- 
couraged by  drainage  promoters,  either  willingh  or  under 
compulsion  favored  a  plan  to  drain  these  marshes.  To  this 
end  legislation  was  enacted  in  1881  and  thereafter  fre- 
quently amended,  creating  Boards  ot  Drainage  Commis- 
sioners, authorizing  the  construction  ot  ditches,  requiring 
the  state  to  bear  a  share  of  the  cost,  and  directing  the  com- 
missioners to  assess  to  each  tract  the  full  and  entire  amount 
of  any  benefit  it  derived.  Some  sections  of  the  marsh  areas 
previously  had  been  privately  drained  by  the  construction 
of  ditches,  anci  while  much  of  the  land  thus  uncovered  was 
of  little  or  doubtful  value  for  the  agricultural  uses  for  which 
it  was  intended,  the  work  authorized  by  legislative  act  seems 
to  have  proceeded  on  a  large  scale  uninterruptedh'  to  the 
present  time. 

"During  the  last  week  in  July  of  the  past  \ear  the  writer 
visited  the  Kankakee  River  country  at  a  time  when  he  had 
a  good  opportunity  to  inspect  the  nature  ot  the  soil  in  the 
drained  areas,  its  lack  of  fertility,  the  character  of  the  crops, 
and  the  general  effect  the  drainage  operations  have  had  in 
the  sections  adjacent  to  the  drainage  ditches.  It  was  his 
privilege  also  to  interview  prominent  citizens,  including 
bankers,  merchants  and  farmers,  some  of  whom  owned  land 
in  the  drained  area,  and  at  least  one  ot  whom  is  engageci  in 


Miirsli  Ljiiils  ot  lll/nots  83 

the  construction  ot  the  big  ditch  that  \o\-  _\ears  has  been 
under  wa}"  and  will  be  continued  tor  many  more  years  unless 
legislation  is  enacted  to  prevent  further  waste  and  destruc- 
tion. 

"'It  would  be  futile  to  assert  that  no  part  ot  the  drained 
area  is  tit  for  agricultural  purposes,  but  it  is  safe  to  assert 
that  onl}-  a  small  proportion  of  the  land  uncovered  can  be 
cultivated  successfulh .  The  drainage  operations  have  been 
carried  on  apparentl)-  without  a  proper  examination  and 
survey  to  determine  the  character  of  the  soil,  as  much  ot 
the  reclaimed  land  is  sand  and  covered  with  onh  a  tew 
inches  of  decayed  vegetation,  sufficient  to  allow  crops  to  be 
grown  for  two  or  three  }ears,  after  which  the  vegetable 
matter  is  exhausted. 

"I  was  informed  b)  reliable  people  that  at  the  end  ot 
five  years  of  cultivation  the  land  will  cease  to  grow  crops 
unless  highh  fertilized  and  irrigated — operations  costing 
more  than  the  value  of  the  crops  the  land  will  produce. 
Furthermore,  the  drainage  ditch,  which  straightened  the  old 
Kankakee  Ri\  er  bed  and  changed  the  stream  into  a  swifth' 
flowing  current,  has  been  dug  to  such  a  depth  that  all  water, 
even  that  needed  for  subsoil  irrigation,  i^  either  carried  off 
in  a  torrent  or  else  seeps  away,  and  much  of  the  land  now 
fails  to  get  the  proper  amount  of  subirrigation;  the  channel 
acts  as  a  sink,  thus  too  quickly  relieving  the  contiguous  terri- 
tory of  the  moisture  and  in  dry  season  producing  results  that 
have  been  serioush-  harmful. 

'T  examined  several  acres — a  portion  ot  the  Big  Beaver 
Lake  bottom — that  had  been  plowed  and  planted  to  r}e 
last  spring.  Not  a  spear  of  rye  was  in  evidence;  hardly  a 
weed  was  growing.  The  white  sand  was  lying  a  bare 
waste — mute  testimony  to  the  havoc  wrought  by  the  tolly 
of  those  who  planned  to  make  this  section  the  world's  garden 
spot. 

"\'aluable  trees — birch,  beech,  oak,  maple  and  elm — 
along  the  ditch  and  far  into  the  interior  have  died  and  are 
dying  for  lack  of  sufficient  moisture  to  give  them  lite.  I 
obser\ed  hundreds  of  acres  of  dead  second-growth  timber 
ruined  bv  the  same  cause.  An  assistant  state  engineer  in  a 
recent  letter  to  the  state  conservation  commissioner  says.  T 


84  I'ropost'ii  I'cirk  Arcc/s  oj  Ul/no/s 

cannot  say  to  what  extent  these  ])rojects  resulted  in  the  kill- 
ing ot  trees,  but  1  do  know  that  in  the  more  recent  con- 
struction of  the  Marble-Powers  ditch,  between  Porter  and 
Lake  counties  on  the  north  and  Newton  and  Jasper  counties 
on  the  south,  practically  all  the  trees  adjacent  to  the  ditch 
are  either  dead  or  dying.' 

"The  removal  of  the  water  destroyed  the  homes  of  the 
wild  fowl,  and  these  former  inhabitants  now  frequent  the 
section  only  in  small  numbers  except  for  a  short  period  m 
spring  when  some  of  the  low  bottom  land  is  tilled  with 
water  by  rains  and  freshets.  When  the  big  ditch  was  opened 
the  water  in  the  river  sloughs  and  road  ditches  rushed  madly 
out,  leaving  thousands  of  tons  of  valuable  food  fishes 
stranded  and  unable  to  escape.  Tons  of  decayed  tish  became 
a  stench  in  the  nostrils  of  the  inhabitants  and  served  the  sole 
purpose  ot  feeding  buzzards  and  crows. 

"A  still  more  alarming  feature  connected  with  this  huge 
ditch  is  the  fact  that  beautiful  lakes  near  Laporte  and  Val- 
paraiso and  other  cities,  some  of  which  are  fourteen  to  six- 
teen miles  distant  from  the  big  ditch,  are  drying  up  as  a 
result  of  its  construction.  After  the  ditch  was  opened  Pine, 
Stone,  ancf  Fish  Trap  lakes — some  of  Indiana's  most  beau- 
tiful bodies  ot  water — were  lowered  over  four  feet,  making 
two  little  lakes  out  of  Pine  Lake,  and  one  very  small  lake 
out  of  Stone  Lake,  while  Fish  Trap  Lake  completely  dis- 
appeared. The  water-line  of  Flint  Lake,  near  \"alparaiso, 
has  receded  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  during  the  last 
few  years.  The  water  in  Hudson  Lake,  Laporte  County,  is 
six  or  seven  feet  lower  and  several  other  lakes  have  a  far 
lower  water-level  than  the}'  had  before  the  Kankakee  was 
ditched. 

"If  those  directly  responsible  for  the  ciestruction  of  the 
beautiful  Kankakee  River  and  the  adjacent  valuable  lake 
and  marsh  areas  alone  were  to  suffer  the  results  of  their 
tolly  it  would  not  be  so  bad,  but  it  is  affecting  also  innocent 
people,  far  removed  from  the  seat  of  the  drainage  opera- 
tions, and  the  public  at  large  must  bear  their  share  of  the 
devastation  thus  wrought. 

"It  is  said  that  the  people  along  the  Kankakee  River  in 
Illinois  suffer  serious  losses  each  year  during  spring  freshets 


Mursli  Lands  of  lU/no/s  S^' 

by  the  onrubhing  warers  ot  the  Kankakee  ditch,  sent  hurr}- 
ing  in  increased  volume  through  the  channel  to  the  lowlands 
ot  Illinois,  with  the  consequent  destruction  of  crops  and 
great  inconvenience  to  the  inhabitants.  To  remedy  this  it 
is  now  proposed,  as  I  understand,  to  extend  the  drainage 
operations  into  Illinois,  to  which  the  people  of  that  state 
offer  strenuous  objections,  as  the}-  undoubtedh'  have  seen 
the  light. 

■"What  is  the  answer?  What  relief  can  be  granted  the 
inhabitants  of  northwestern  Indiana V  In  conversation  with 
a  state  official  who  has  a  contract  to  construct  a  part  of  the 
big  ditch,  I  ventured  to  remark  that  it  was  my  opinion  they 
were  lajing  the  foundation  for  the  creation  of  a  desert. 
Much  to  my  surprise  the  reply  came  quickly  in  a  manner 
indicating  that  the  subject  had  had  previous  serious  thought : 
'I  will  tell  you  what  will  happen  sooner  or  later — it  will 
not  be  very  long  before  a  big  canal  will  be  constructed  from 
Lake  Michigan  down  through  this  country  and  off  into  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  then  the  water  from  it  can  be  used 
to  irrigate  this  section.' 

"Think  of  it!  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  ex- 
pended to  drain  the  natural  reservoirs  of  Indiana — those 
lake  and  marsh  areas — and  now  millions  of  dollars  must 
be  expended  to  bring  in  other  waters  to  irrigate  land  that 
concededly  will  otherwise  become  arid  and  worthless  in  a 
few  years  as  a  result  of  ill-judged  drainage  operations.  A 
careful  examination  and  surve}-  of  the  soil  underlying  the 
Kankakee  River  marshes  would  have  disclosed  areas  suitable 
tor  cultivation  and  those  unfit  for  agriculture."" 


Cahokia  Mound  Park 


Persiminoii  Moiiiid,  500  feot  southeast  of  ("aliokia  Mound 


,:"tr," 


I  .il.wiw.i    ,iluiik'^)    AldUiul.     Xortli   \'u'\\ 


^^ 


Cahokia  Mound  Park 

Caroi.ini:  M.  McIlvaine 

Li//riiriiin  Chicn^a  Historical  Society 

From  time  to  time  the  inhabitants  ot  earth  become  in- 
tensely curious  concerning  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
hypothetical  inhabitants  ot  our  neighboring  planet  Mars 
and  devise  codes  for  signaling  across  the  35,000,000  miles 
of  intervening  space.  Yet  in  the  heart  of  our  continent, 
decorating  the  prairies  of  Illinois,  lie  gigantic  ciphers  of  a 
past  age  that  had  not  engaged  the  curiosity  of  the  denizens 
of  this  state  to  the  point  of  deciphering  their  code  until  the 
greedy  hand  of  commerce  had  all  but  obliterated  their 
message. 

In  St.  Clair  County  about  six  miles  from  the  Mississippi 
River  directly  east  of  Illinois  Town,  now  called  East  St. 
Louis,  lies  the  series  of  great  earth  works,  originally  at  least 
one  hundred  in  number,  that  are  known  as  "The  Cahokia 


()0 


Vrofxiscd  Wirk  /I /wis  of  I/////o/s 


Indian  Moiuuls"  now  rfduced  b)  the  slow  but  sure  plow 
of  the  agriculturist  to  about  sixty.  The  largest  of  these  in 
the  form  of  a  truncated  pyramid  is  700  by  1,000  feet  at  its 
base  and  covers  a  greater  area  than  the  greatest  Egyptian 
pyramid. 

Although  observed  b}  the  first  explorers  of  this  region 
and  commented  upon  by  later  travellers  and  archaeologists, 
the  people  ot  Illinois  themselves  have  never  until  the  present 
time,  in  any  conspicuous  manner,  claimed  the  honor  of  cus- 
todianship ot  the  largest  earthwork  of  human  hands  in  the 
world — which  the  Great  C'ahokia  Mount!  is. 


Cahokia  Mound  Wirk 


91 


-issaswai 


Caliolvi.-i    \i 


General  George  Rogers  Clark,  the  Revolutionary  hero  of 
Illinois,  was  not  too  bus)-  eonquering  the  British  at  Kas- 
kaskia  and  Cahokia  to  learn  the  traditions  oi  the  Indian 
relative  to  the  great  earth  works,  for  he  wrote  in  lyHc), 
"Thev  sa}-  they  were  the  works  of  their  forefathers  and  that 
they  were  formerly  as  numerous  as  the  trees  in  the  woods." 
.■\rchaeologists  estimate  that  the  population  ot  the  region 
at  the  period  of  the  construction  ot  the  mounds  could  not 
have  been  less  than  100,000  persons. 

In  K)i  1.  under  an  act  of  the  46th  General  Assembly  of 
Illinois  appointing  a  Commission  to  investigate  and  report 
on  the  preservation  of  certain  lands  for  public  parks  for  the 
State  of  Illinois,  Dr.  James  A.  James,  and  his  associates  in- 
cluded in  the  sites  recommended,  the  Great  Cahokia  Mound, 
which  the}'  styled  "the  most  imposing  monument  ot  the 
Mound  Bviilders  in  the  United  States." 

Ten  \ears  Jater.  i.e..  in  the  late  summer  ot  u)2i.  Dr. 
Warren  K.  Moorehead.  chief  of  the  Dejiartment  of  Archae- 
ology of  Philips  .Academy,  .\ndover.  Mass.,  and  for  many 
rears  government  investigator  ot  Indian  reser\ations.  at  the 


92  Proposed  Piirfc  Areas  of  Illinois 

instancf  ot  St.  Louis  .scientists,  was  suarsstul  in  enlisting 
the  cooperation  ot  scientific  institutions  throughout  the 
country,  to  linance  an  experimental  survey  of  the  mounds 
with  a  view  to  arousing  general  interest  in  their  preserva- 
tion, with  the  result  that  the  l^niversity  of  Illinois  will 
probably  take  over  the  exploration  work  for  the  future. 

The  net  results  of  Dr.  Moorehead's  work  are  the  kindling 
of  a  wide  spread  interest,  the  promise  of  the  owners  to  hold 
the  properties  until  the  next  Legislature,  proof  that  Cahokia 
is  the  largest  archaeological  site  in  the  country  and  one  of 
the  most  important,  and  the  deposit  in  the  State  Museum 
at  Springfield  and  in  the  State  L'niversity  of  large  collec- 
tions of  "finds." 

So  much  for  the  scientific  significance  of  the  Great  P\  ra- 
mid  ot  the  Western  World,  as  the  largest  mound  might  be 
termed. 

The  art  sense  ot  the  native  American  ever  directed  him  in 
the  selection  of  his  sacred  places.  The  location  of  the  Great 
Mound  is  no  exception  in  point  of  natural  beauty,  and 
just  two  decades  after  George  Rogers  Clark  described  its 
beauties,  it  was  selected  as  the  site  for  a  monastery  by  a 
small  band  of  monks  of  the  Order  of  LaTrappe  who  came 
from  France  in  1809  to  find  sanctuary  in  the  wilderness  of 
the  Illinois  Country  made  known  by  Marquette,  LaSalle, 
Tonty,  Pinet  and  their  successors. 

Thompson,  the  author  of  "The  Mississippi  Valley,"  who 
in  1844  visited  the  site  with  the  artist.  Wild,  who  sketched 
the  mounds,  wrote : 

"From  the  top  of  the  great  mound  the  view  is  of  exceed- 
ing beauty.  The  wide  prairie  stretches  for  miles  its  carpet- 
ing of  green  gemmed  with  the  most  beautiful  flowers,  and 
dotted  at  intervals  with  clusters  of  trees  that  look  in  the 
distance  like  emeralds  embossed  in  a  rich  embroidery,  while 
there  where  former!}-  the  wild  buffalo  ranged,  now  herds  ot 
domestic  cattle  are  grazing  and 

'Peace  is  tinkling  in  the  she[:)herd's  bell 
And  singing  with  the  reapers.'  " 

This  descrijition  is  [iracticalh-  as  true  toda\'  as  it  was 
when   it  wns  written  three  (luarters  ot  a  rcntur\    ago.  and 


Cahokni  Mound  l\/rk  93 

unless  annihilated  by  nianutacturin^'  plants,  it  nia_\-  be  as 
true  a  thousand  }ears  fron:  now  for  the  reason  that  like  the 
Nile,  the  great  Father  of  Waters,  through  hundreds  of  jears 
has  spread  on  the  prairie  here  a  soil  ot  inexhaustable  rich- 
ness. The  phenomenon  of  the  American  Bottom  in  Illinois 
is  considered  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world  tor  the  depth 
of  this  alluvial  soil  reaches  100  feet  in  places.  I  Let  the  State 
of  Illinois  recognize  this  gift  of  God,  where  the  Aborigines 
erected  their  loftiest  altar  to  the  Great  Spirit,  by  making  it 
a  public  park  forever!^  And  let  it  be  remembered  that  we 
owe  it  to  the  uncommercial  spirit  of  the  patient  farmers  of 
the  locality,  the  Ranieys,  Merrills,  Edwards,  Tippets, 
Smiths,  Powels,  and  Hardings,  who  have  often  had  tempting 
offers  for  their  land,  that  it  is  still  in  the  power  of  the 
people  of  Illinois  to  perpetuate  this  area  of  beauty  and 
archaeological  interest. 

The  Cahokia  Park  Bilt, — A  Word  to  tjik  Wise 

Protiting  by  the  lessons  learned  in  the  failure  of  the  Bill 
providing  for  the  preservation  of  the  Cahokia  Mounds  as  a 
State  Park  presented  to  the  Legislation  of  1913,  Dr.  Moore- 
head's  splendid  campaign  of  education  has  laid  to  rest  the 
age  old  bogy  that  "the  mounds  may  be  of  natural  origin." 
It  therefore  only  remains  for  us  to  redeem  Illinois  from  the 
stigma  of  lagging  behind  the  States  of  Ohio,  Michigan,  Wis- 
consin and  Iowa  in  perpetuating  her  Indian  antiquities. 

Writing  to  one  of  the  Friends  of  Our  Native  Landscape, 
Dr.   Moorehead  says: 

"I  think  if  your  organization  and  the  historical  societies, 
women's  clubs,  Kiwanis,  and  Rotary  clubs  of  Illinois  all  get 
together  the  bill  will  pass.  All  the  hundretfs  of  letters  nec- 
essary should  now  be  sent  out  by  Illinois  organizations.  Be 
sure  to  instruct  your  organization  to  f/ef  acquciinted  zcith 
your  state  senators.  That  is  more  effective  than  writing 
letters  to  them.  W^here  possible  committees  should  visit  the 
scene  of  operation  and  get  the  situation  at  first  hands." 


'(ilcii  Fcru,"  near  Tunnel  Hill,  .Johnson  County 


The  State  Park  Possibilities  of 
Southern  Illinois 

Hf.nrv  C.  Cowles 

As  here  understood,  the  term  southern  Illinois  will  be 
used  to  include  the  eleven  southern  counties,  that  is,  essen- 
tially the  portion  of  the  state  south  of  the  latitude  of  38 
degrees.  Southern  Illinois  as  here  interpreted  is  marvel- 
ously  rich  in  state  park  possibilities.  Every  one  of  the 
eleven  counties  has  from  one  to  several  desirable  sites  for 
state  parks.  If  only  one  or  two  of  these  are  to  be  taken 
over  by  the  state,  it  will  be  a  matter  of  extreme  difficulty 
to  determine  which  the  fortunate  one,  or  ones,  should  be. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  our  state  will  embark  upon  a  policy 
of  such  magnitude  that  eventually  there  will  be  several 
state  parks  in  that  portion  of  Illinois  which  is  known  as 
"Eg\'pt.""     It  is  to  be  hoped  also,  that  wirhiii  these  eleven 


t>S  I'roposLt/  I'urk  Areas  of  llhiio/s 

counties  state  toiest  {)resc'rvcs  \\  ill  be  set  aside.  It  lias  been 
estimated  by  the  state  bureau  of  soils,  that  Illinois  has 
six  million  acres  of  land  better  adapted  for  forestry  than 
for  agriculture.  .\  large  portion  of  these  si.x  million  acres 
is  found  in  the  .southern  part  of  the  state.  The  eleven 
southern  counties  are  an  eastern  extension  of  the  Ozark  up- 
lift and  hence  form  much  the  most  rugged  and  scenic 
portion  of  Illinois.  IVIost  of  the  country  is  hilly,  some  of 
it  almost  mountainous.  Hills  with  an  altitude  of  five  hun- 
dred feet  to  seven  hundred  feet  are  frequent.  The  great 
abundance  of  rock,  the  steep  hillsides,  and  the  magnificent 
timber  ever}  where  displayed  naturally  make  an  area  well 
suited  tor  the  development  of  natural  parks  and  forest  pre- 
serves. Attention  may  be  directed  to  the  fact  that  many  of 
these  sites  are  well  suited  for  county  forest  preser\es  quite 
as  well  as  or  even  better  than  for  state  preserves.  In  the 
following  paragrai)hs,  the  southern  counties  will  be  treated 
seriatim,  starting  with  Jackson  County  on  the  northwest  and 
concluding  with  Massac  Count}'  on  the  southeast. 

Jackson  Coi  nty 

The  northern  part  of  Jackson  County  is  comparati\ely 
flat,  contrasting  sharply  with  that  portion  of  the  Ozark 
uplift,  lying  south  of  Murphysboro,  the  county  seat,  and 
Carbondale,  the  seat  of  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal 
I  ni versify.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  county  from  Gor- 
ham  to  Grand  Tower  are  some  wonderfull}*  picturesc]ue 
bluffs  along  the  Mississippi  river,  notably  Fountain  Bluff 
and  the  Devil's  Bake  Oven,  which  will  be  described  later. 
Along  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  railroad  south  of  Murphysboro, 
especially  near  Pomona,  is  some  interesting  territory,  in- 
cluding a  natural  bridge.  In  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  along  the  Illinois  Central  railroad,  south  of  Carbon- 
dale  and  near  the  village  of  Makanda,  is  a  very  picturesque 
territor}-,  known  as  the  Giant  City.  The  most  talked  of 
area  in  Jackson  County  is  the  one  at  Fountain  Bluff  near 
the  village  of  Gorham.  There  is  a  very  strong  public  senti- 
ment in  the  county,  especially  at  Carbondale  and  Mur- 
ph}sboro,  for  the  perpetual  preservation  of  Fountain  Bluff. 


Park  Poss/bilitics  of  Soi/fl/cni  Jll/nois       99 

It  is  alrcadA  a  well  known  and  popular  place  ot  resort  tor 
picnics  antl  outings.  In  connection  with  the  joint  meeting 
of  the  Illinois  State  Academy  of  Science  and  the  Friends 
of  our  Native  Landscape  at  Carbondale.  in  the  spring  of 
K)2i,  a  great  picnic  and  barbecue  was  held  at  Fountain 
Bhirt.  and  was  attended  by  many  hundreds  of  people,  all 
of  whom  expressed  their  great  enthusiasm  for  the  state  park 
movement  and  the  preservation  of  Fountain  Bluff.  ,\ 
quite  notable  speech  was  made  by  Senator  Otis  Glenn  ot 
Murphysboro,  one  of  the  strongest  supporters  of  the  state 
[xirk  idea  in  Illinois.  Another  good  friend  of  state  parks 
is  Representative  Eltherton,  of  Carbondale. 

Fountain  Bluff  is  an  isolated  area  of  great  ruggedness 
and  beauty,  separated  by  many  miles  of  flood  plain  from 
the  main  bod}-  of  the  Ozarks,  with  which  it  was  once  con- 
nected. This  rock  island  stands  u{)  like  a  mountain  from 
the  flood  plain  extending  on  every  side,  reaching  a  height 
of  three  or  four  hundred  feet  at  its  highest  point.  At  the 
south-west  portion  of  the  bluff  the  Mississi})pi  washes  its 
banks,  and  from  the  top  of  the  bluff,  the  Father  of  Waters 
forms  an  impressive  feature  of  the  landscajie.  The  bluff  is 
comj)Osed  of  massive  sandstone,  interspersed  with  peculiar 
iron  layers,  except  at  the  south  where  there  is  some  lime- 
stone. The  Fountain  Bluff  area  embraces  some  four 
thousand  acres,  and  all  of  it  should  certainly  be  included  if 
it  is  set  aside  for  a  state  park.  Within  these  four  thousand 
acres  are  many  beautiful  ravines,  grottos,  and  springs.  The 
whole  tract  is  beautifulh  wooded,  though  most  of  it  is 
not  virgin  timber.  There  is  a  fine  display  of  hickory,  oak, 
and  beech.  The  spring  flowering  display  of  the  service  berry 
and  later  of  the  dogwood  beggar  description. 

A  few  miles  to  the  south  of  Fountain  Bluff  is  the  in- 
teresting old  village  of  Grand  Tower,  which  was  much 
busier  during  the  days  of  the  Civil  War  than  it  is  today. 
The  village  acquires  its  name  from  a  i)icturesque  limestone 
tower  on  the  Missouri  side  of  the  river.  The  same  forma- 
tion, however,  is  seen  on  the  Illinois  side,  and  on  account  of 
its  fantastic  erosion  features  is  known  as  the  Devil's  Bake 
Oven.  On  account  of  the  limestone  ledge,  which  crosses 
the  rixer  at  this  point  and  which  is  conspicuous  on  either 


100  [' 10  posed  Furk  A  reus  of  Ul/iiois 


Givat    Wall  and  C'avc-iii.     Pdiic  Couiitv 

bank,  the  river  here  flows  rapidly  throuj:;h  narrows.  The  red 
cedar  and  a  number  of  interesting  flowering  plants  and 
ferns  are  especially  characteristic  of  these  limestone  rocks. 
The  area  involved  in  the  Devil's  Bake  Oven  is  but  a  itw 
acres  and  it  might  well  be  acquired  as  a  subsidiarv  of  the 
P^ountain  BlutF  project. 

The  Pomona  area  with  its  natural  bridge  and  the  Giant 
City  at  Makanda  are  much  smaller  tracts  than  that  of  Foun- 
tain Bluif,  though  both  of  them  are  perfectly  well  suited 
for  state  parks,  their  small  size  would  seem  to  make  it  pos- 
sible to  have  them  set  aside  as  county  parks,  or  even  as 
outer  city  parks  respectively  for  Murphysboro  and  Carbon- 
dale.  The  author  has  not  visited  the  Pomona  area.  The 
Giant  City  is  of  the  same  sandstone  and  iron  formation  as 
Fountain  Bluff,  and  there  are  many  picturesque  grottos, 
bluffs,  and  other  erosion  features. 

\Vii,LL\MsoN  County 

Williamson  County  is  an  important  industrial  county 
antl  noted   tor   its  coal   niinc>.     The  northern  part  of  the 


Park  Possib/hfn's  of  Soi/tlwrn  JU/no/s     lOi 

count}-  is  relatively  fiat,  as  in  Jackson  Count}'.  The  noithern 
outliers  of  the  Illinois  Ozarks  are  somewhat  developed  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  county.  The  author  has  not  seen 
any  place  in  this  county  which  he  would  be  inclined  at  the 
present  time  to  recommend  for  state  park  purposes.  Some 
mention  has  been  made  locally  of  the  neighborhood  about 
Creal  Springs,  which  has  for  some  years  been  more  or  less 
of  a  resort.     The  area  has  not  been  visited  b}-  the  author. 

Saline  County 

Saline  County  also  is  an  important  industrial  county  with 
numerous  coal  mines.  It  is  also  the  center  of  some  vigorous 
state  park  sentiment.  This  probably  is  largely  due  to  the 
fact  that  it  is  the  home  county  of  ^Ir.  Clarence  Bonnell  of 
Harrisburg,  an  influential  member  of  the  Friends  of  Native 
Landscape.  Mr.  Bonnell  has  for  years  been  preaching  the 
value  of  the  Illinois  Ozarks  as  desirable  places  for  the 
establishment  of  natural  preserves.  It  is  largely  due  to 
Mr.  BonnelTs  influence  that  many  northern  Illinoisans,  in- 
cluding the  author,  have  become  interested  in  southern 
Illinois. 

As  in  the  previous  two  counties.  Saline  is  rather  flat  in 
its  northern  portion.  It  is  very  rough  and  almost  moun- 
tainous in  the  southern  part.  It  is  in  this  county  probably 
that  there  is  to  be  found  the  greatest  topographic  relief 
within  a  small  area  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  This  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  northern  edge  of  the  Ozarks  is  brought  into 
very  sharp  relief  by  a  prominent  fault  line.  The  relief  is 
still  further  accentuatecl  by  the  fact  that  the  Saline  bottoms 
are  just  north  of  this  escarpment. 

Probably  the  most  striking  of  these  escarpments  is  Cave 
Hill,  the  crest  of  which  is  seven  hundred  feet  above  the 
Saline  bottoms.  The  scenery  on  and  about  Cave  Hill  can- 
not be  surpassed  for  beaut}'  in  the  state.  There  is  also  a 
wealth  of  timber  of  all  classes,  varying  from  the  species  of 
the  river  bottom  lands  to  the  types  that  are  characteristic  of 
rocky  hills.  As  the  name  would  indicate,  there  is  an  in- 
teresting cave  on  the  slopes  of  Cave  Hill. 

There  are  other  attractive  hills  and  outlook  points  in  the 


102 


I'm  posed  Wirk  Aiwis  of  Ul/no/s 


--i 

©Voll  Late.  A,^ 

-(ll;.cf>.„HolW-CI..«J-  N.^1.4^ 
©Cv.H.H-V.Uo^H.H,  A..< 


01^  OXARK  OPLirX    l/{ 


southern  part  ot  Saline  Count}'.  One  ot  the  most  notable 
of  these  is  Womble  Mountain,  which  is  the  habitat  ot  rare 
terns  and  other  interesting  plants.  The  rough  nature  ot 
the  region  is  reflected  in  the  name  "Mountain,"  as  just 
noted,  and  also  in  the  name  "Mountain  Township,"  one  ot 
the  sub-divisions  of  the  county.  In  this  county,  as  else- 
where in  southern  Illinois,  are  many  indications  of  prehis- 
toric inhabitants.  Wherever  these  remains  are  well  pre- 
served they  should  certainly  be  set  aside  as  parks.  An 
interesting  instance  is  an  old  stone  fort  near  the  village  of 
Stone  Fort  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  count}'. 

Gallatin   Coi'nty 

Gallatin  Count}"  is  the  only  one  of  the  eleven  southern 
counties  that  has  not  been  visited  by  the  author.  It  is  how- 
ever a  county  rich  in  scenic  and  historic  interest,  and  it  is 
one  of  the  longest  settled  portions  of  the  state.  This  county 
certainly  contains  areas  that  should  be  set  aside  because  ot 
their  importance  in  jiioneer  days.  Shawneetown  on  the 
Ohio  River  and  New  Haven  on  the  Wabash  are  picturesque 
old  cities,  fascinating  in  their  historic  interest.  In  the 
southern  part  of  the  county  are  several  areas  of  great  scenic 


Park  PossihiUf/cs  of  Soi/fJicni  lllino/s     10^ 


Piasa  Bluffs  alono- 


!_■    Misisissijipi,   (iiat'tou,  Jersey 
C'ouutv 


beaut}  and  natural  interest,  that  mi^'hf  well  be  set  aside 
as  state  or  county  parks.  Among  these  are  Gold  Hill  and 
Wild  Cat  Hill  which  are  prominent  escarpments,  brought 
into  strong  relief  by  the  same  fault  noted  tor  Saline  Count}'. 
Near  Shawneetown  are  the  famous  Shawneetown  Lakes 
which  ha\e  long  been  familiar  places  ot  resort. 


Union   County 

Union  County  lies  wholly  in  the  Ozark  Uplift  and  is 
one  of  the  most  picturesque  counties  in  the  state.  Many 
citizens  of  the  county,  especially  in  the  towns  of  Anna  and 
Jonesboro  are  absorbingl}-  interested  in  the  state  park  move- 
ment. The  Mississippi  River,  with  its  wide  bottoms  in- 
cluding many  picturesque  lakes,  borders  the  count}-  at  the 
west.  Rising  abruptly  from  these  bottoms  is  a  continuous 
line  of  hills,  resembling  Fountain  Bluff  in  Jackson  County 
in  manv  particulars.  One  of  the  most  attractive  and  most 
talked  of  places  is  Wolf  Lake.    The  Wolf  Lake  area  should 


104  Proposed  Fark  Areas  of  Ul/no'ts 

certainly  be  preserved  as  a  state  park  or  as  a  state  forest 
preserve,  tor  in  this  neighborhood,  is  the  only  stand  ot 
southern  }ello\v  pine  within  our  state.  The  pine  hills  with 
Wolt  Lake  in  the  foreground  furnish  one  ot  the  most  attrac- 
tive landscapes  to  be  seen  anywhere.  \\'olt  Lake  is  one  of 
those  interesting  bodies  of  water  known  as  an  "ox  bow" 
lake,  having  once  been  a  channel  of  the  river.  The  lake  has 
long  been  a  resort  for  hunters  and  fishermen,  and  should 
certainly  be  kept  in  its  natural  condition  forever.  The 
yellow  pine  is  by  no  means  the  only  plant  of  interest  on  the 
pine  hills.  So  far  as  is  known,  these  hills  are  also  the  only 
habitat  in  our  state  ot  the  wild  Azalea  so  characteristic  ot 
the  Alleghanies.  These  hills  are  chert  hills,  known  locally 
as  silica  hills,  and  they  have  a  widely  different  tlora  from 
that  of  the  sandstone  hills  of  Jackson  County. 

Picturesque  places  near  the  river  farther  south,  are  the 
Atwood  Ridge  and  Willow  Springs.  Both  of  these  places, 
and  especially  Willow  Sp:irings  are  places  frequented  for 
their  beauty  and  natural  interest. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  count}'  is  the  village  of  Alto 
Pass  on  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  railroad.  This  is  the  highest 
railroad  point  in  Illinois  and  is  a  place  with  very  picturesque 
surroundings.  Near  by  looms  up  Bald  Knob,  one  of  the 
very  highest  peaks  in  the  entire  state.  The  relief  is  par- 
ticularly striking  here  because  the  Mississippi,  with  its  very 
low  altitude  is  but  a  few  miles  to  the  west.  From  the  sum- 
mit of  Bald  Knob,  so  named  because  of  the  absence  of 
natural  trees,  there  is  obtained  a  marvelous  view  of  the 
country  for  miles  in  all  directions.  On  the  slopes  ot  Bald 
Knob  are  hundreds  of  acres  of  some  of  the  finest  timber 
in  the  state.  This  would  therefore  be  an  excellent  place  tor 
the  establishment  of  a  state  forest. 

The  central  and  east  portions  of  the  county  also  have 
many  points  of  interest  that  are  well  suited  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  state  or  county  parks.  One  of  the  most  talked 
about  of  these  is  Roaring  Springs,  which,  however,  the 
author  has  not  visited. 

LTnion  Count}'  is  rich  in  prehistoric  remains,  some  of 
which  might  well  be  preserved.  One  of  the  disheartening 
things  observed  by  the  author  in  Union  County  in  particular 


Park  Possibilities  of  Southern  Illinois     lOC 


is  the  prevalence  of  forest  fires.  Sad  to  relate,  these  forest 
fires  are  not  accidental  but  are  set  on  purpose  regularly 
every  year.  No  preserves  of  any  sort  can  be  established 
with  any  degree  of  security  until  this  abominable  practice 
is  stopped. 

Johnson  County 

Johnson  County  is  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Illinois  Ozarks, 
being  the  only  one  of  the  eleven  southern  counties  with 
neither  river  frontage  nor  flat  country  to  the  north.  Per- 
haps the  most  talked  of  place  in  this  county  is  Fern  Cliff 
near  the  little  village  of  Goreville  on  the  Chicago  and 
Eastern  Illinois  Railroad.  This  tract  is  owned  by  Miss 
Anna  Rebman,  former  count}'  superintendent  of  schools,  and 
always  a  great  friend  of  the  conservation  movement.  Fern 
Cliff  combines  many  of  the  features  of  Fountain  Bluff  and 
the  Pope  County  canyons  to  be  mentioned  later.  One  finds 
there  massive  sandstone  walls  with  great  detached  blocks 
of  wonderful  picturesqueness  and  numerous  caves  and  am- 
phitheatres carved  out  from  the  rock  walls.  Waterfalls 
and  a  fine  growth  of  timber  also  add  to  the  attractiveness. 
Fern  Cliff  has  long  been  a  favorite  place  of  resort  and 
certainh-  should  be  set  aside  as  a  permanent  natural  pre- 
serve. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Parker  and  Tunnel  Hill,  some 
miles  east  of  Fern  Cliff,  are  places  of  rare  beauty  and 
scenic  interest.     The  ride  on  the  Big  Four  Railway  from 


io6  l'/o/)oscu/  i\irk  A /WIS  o/  Ul/nots 

Parkrr  to  \'ii-iina.  the  count)-  scat,  is  pcrha])s  the  nio^t  pic- 
turesque railway  ride  in  Illinois.  In  the  southern  part  ot 
the  county  alon^  the  Cache  River  and  its  tributaries  are  in- 
teresting cypress  swamps,  reminding  of  the  familiar  cypress 
swamps  of  Louisiana  and  Arkansas.  The  cypress  is  rapidly 
being  cut  off  on  account  of  its  great  value  tor  lumber.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  here  or  in  some  of  the  adjoining  counties 
a  good  tract  of  cypress  will  be  reserved  for  a  state  or  county 
forest.  Vienna  is  an  interesting  old  town  witli  many  relics 
of  i)ioneer  da)s. 

Pope  County 

Pope  Count)  is  perhaps  the  wildcat  ami  most  rugged 
county  in  the  state.  It  is  also  a  county  of  great  topographic 
diversit)',  varying  from  the  high  hills  of  the  Ozarks  in  the 
north  to  the  bottoms  of  the  Ohio  River  in  the  east  and  south- 
east. The  very  culmination  of  Ozark  scener)-  is  found  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  county,  where  there  are  a  number 
of  beautiful  canyons,  locally  known  as  hollows.  It  is  this 
section  that  has  been  particularly  brought  to  our  attention 
by  Mr.  Bonnell  of  Harrisburg.  Among  the  picturesque 
places  that  should  certainly  be  preserved  in  a  big  state  park 
are  Jackson  Hollow,  portions  of  Hunting  Branch  and 
Clarida  Branch  (local  names  for  creeks),  and  especially  the 
neighborhood  of  the  splendid  natural  bridge  and  the  mag- 
nificent sand  cave.  Hereabouts  are  found  man)'  rare  ferns, 
notably  the  filmy  fern,  known  nowhere  else  in  Illinois,  or  tor 
that  matter  in  any  northern  state.  The  highest  hill  in 
southern  Illinois  is  said  to  be  Mount  Williams  in  the  north- 
east part  of  the  county.  Many  picturesque  places,  suitable 
for  parks  are  found  along  the  banks  of  Lusk  Creek.  In  the 
central  and  more  settled  part  of  the  county  is  Dixon 
Springs,  long  a  favorite  place  of  resort  and  well  suited  tor 
state  park  purposes.  Here  there  are  numerous  springs  of 
medicinal  value  and  picturesque  canyons  and  defiles.  The 
timber  here  is  interesting  and  there  are  some  very  large  trees. 
Golconda,  the  county  seat,  is  a  picturesque  town  on  the  Ohio 
River,  rich  in  historic  interest.  The  hills  about  Golconda 
and  up  the  river  toward  Eli'/abethtown  are  beautifully 
wooded  and  w(  11  suited  for  count)  and  state  parks. 


Park  Possd?d/f/cs  of  Soi/tlicni   III  mots      107 

Hardin   County 

Hardin  Count}  is  })rc)bably  the  most  diliiciilt  of  access  of 
any  county  in  the  state,  having  no  railroad  within  its  limits 
except  for  a  short  distance  in  the  extreme  southwest.  At 
present  this  county  is  best  known  to  the  world  through  its 
mines  of  fluor-spar  at  Rosiclare,  which  are  among  the  most 
extensive  in  the  world.  This  is  a  county  noted  for  its  caves 
and  cave  scenery,  having  numerous  sink  holes  so  character- 
istic ot  cave  regions.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  county 
is  Hicks  Dome,  a  well  known  topographic  feature.  Like 
most  ot  the  .southern  countie.s,  Hardin  is  of  great  interest 
historically,  and  has  many  relics  of  pioneer  days.  Eli/a- 
bethtown.  the  count}'  seat,  is  a  picturesque  old  city  on  the 
Ohio  River,  and  Cave-In-Rock,  farther  up  the  river,  is  a 
famous  landmark  about  which  many  interesting  old  tales 
are  told.  The  author  has  made  so  little  study  of  Hardin 
County  that  he  is  unable  to  make  specific  park  recommenda- 
tions. 

Alk,\.\nder  County 

Alexander  County  is  an  interesting  old  county  at  the  junc- 
tion ot  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  Cairo,  the  countv 
seat,  has  long  been  a  well  known  city  and  has  had  a  large 
part  to  play  in  the  pioneer  development  of  Illinois.  Most 
of  the  county  is  covered  with  river  bottoms,  but  in  the 
northern  part,  one  encounters  the  Ozark  uplands.  In  the 
neighborhood  of  Thebes  are  picturesque  hills  and  splendid 
forests,  well  suited  for  state  park  and  forest  purposes.  Along 
the  lower  stretches  of  the  Cache  River  are  interesting 
swamps  ot  cypress  and  tupelo. 

Pui,.ASKi  County 

Pulaski.  like  .Alexander  Count}-,  is  a  covmtv  of  low  alti- 
tudes and  is  rich  in  the  bottom-lands  of  the  Ohio  and  Cache 
rivers.  It  is  perhaps  in  this  county  that  the  southern  cypress 
and  tupelo  swamps  reach  their  greatest  development,  es- 
pecially along  the  Cache  river  and  its  tributaries.  The.se 
swamps  can  be  well  seen  at  Karnak.  Ullin.  and  Pulaski. 
One  ot  these  c}j)ress  areas  .should  certainh   be  set  aside  for 


108  Proposed  Park  Areas  of  llliiio/s 

all  finie  as  a  srare  [lark  or  state  forest.     IVrhaps  a  site  in 
Tulaski  County  would  be  best  suited  tor  this  purjiose. 

Massac  County 

No  county  in  the  state  has  more  interesting  tales  of  the 
pioneer  days  than  has  Massac  with  its  long  extent  of  terri- 
tory along  the  Ohio  River.  Metropolis,  the  county  seat,  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  historic  points  in  Illinois  and 
already  has  a  small  state  park  for  the  preservation  of  old 
Fort  Massac,  which  is  so  rich  in  pioneer  history.  Massac, 
like  Pulaski  County,  is  mostly  low  in  altitude,  bottom  lands 
being  its  most  conspicuous  feature.  As  in  the  other  southern 
counties,  there  are  interesting  cypress  swamps. 


Flory's  Cave,  near  Tunnel  Hill,  Johnson  County 
(Front  view  of  central  part) 

State  Park  Possibilities  Along 
the  Mississippi  River 

Hknrv  C.  Cowles 


The  entire  stretch  of  the  Mississippi  River  on  the  western 
border  of  our  state  is  so  uniformly  beautiful  and  interesting 
that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  make  selection  of  areas  that 
are  better  than  the  others.  If  all  conditions  were  ideal  and 
if  immense  sums  of  money  were  available  there  might  be 
recommended  a  continuous  parkway  along  the  river  with  the 
exception  of  cities  and  agricultural  tracts  all  the  way  from 
Dubuque  to  Cairo.  Even  though  such  a  dream  cannot  be 
realized  perhaps  for  a  time,  some  state  parks  should  cer- 
tainly be  organized  at  various  points  along  the  river,  and 
those  counties  that  adjoin  the  river  should  all  establish 
their  county  forest  preserves.  Cities  along  the  river  also 
should  establish  city  preserves  in  like  manner,  as  Ouincy  has 
so  conspicuous! }   and  successful h'  done. 


110  I'roposc't/  I'urk  Aiwis  ol  lU/nais 

rhrre  of  tlic  .soutlurn  eounrics  aliurrin;j;  on  rhc  lixcr, 
namely  Jackson,  Union,  and  Alexamicr,  liavc  been  con- 
sidered elsewhere  in  this  report.  SiniilarU  the  magnificent 
tracts  along  the  river  in  northern  Illinois,  especially  in  Ruck 
Island,  Carroll,  and  Jo  Daviess  counties,  have  been  con- 
sidered by  others.  Brief  mention  may  be  made  here  of 
some  of  the  other  counties  in  the  central  and  south  central 
portions. 

R.ANDoi.i'H   County 

This  county  lies  next  above  Jackson  Count}  and  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  all  the  counties  from  a  historic  point 
of  view.  This  is  the  county  of  the  famous  old  Kaskaskia. 
the  first  capital  of  Illinois  and  the  oldest  white  settlement 
in  the  Mississippi  valley.  Chester,  the  county  seat,  is  an 
interesting  old  town,  and  old  Fort  Gage  not  far  away  is 
rich  in  historic  memories.  Old  Kaskaskia  has  almost  en- 
tirely disappeared,  having  been  eaten  away  by  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  Around  Fort  Gage,  however,  ,there  is  an 
interesting  tract  that  should  be  taken  over  for  a  state  park 
for  historic  reasons.  It  is  also  an  area  not  without  scenic 
beauty. 

.St.  Clair  and  Madison  Counties 

These  are  industrial  counties  of  great  importance,  close 
to  the  city  of  St.  Louis.  They  are  mostly  without  tracts 
of  great  scenic  beauty,  but  the  famous  old  Cahokia  mounds 
in  Madison  County  should  certainly  be  acquired  by  the 
state  because  of  their  large  human  interest.  Archaeologists 
regard  these  as  great  prehistoric  monuments  and  if  their 
interpretation  is  correct,  they  are  about  the  largest  con- 
structions of  antiquity  found  anywhere  in  the  world.  What- 
ever their  origin  their  interest  is  such  that  they  should  be 
acquired  by  the  state  and  kept  in  a  permanent  preserve. 

Ji:rsi:v  and  Caiiioun  Counties 

The  Illinois  River  forms  the  boundary  between  Jersey 
and  Calhoun  counties,  discharging  its  waters  into  the 
Mississippi  near  the  picturesque  little  town  of  Grafton. 
This  is  a  region  of  sx^wl  ruggedness  and  beaut\-.  containing 


Parks  A I  on;/  the  M/ssisstppi  i  i  i 


some  ot  the  most  picturesque  river  clitfs  ot  the  entire  state. 
Calhoun  County  is  so  rugged  in  its  topograph}-  and  so  little 
settled  that  it  does  not  contain  a  railroad.  Perhaps  the  most 
interesting  tract  in  this  region  for  a  state  park  is  the  Piasa 
Bluff  area  near  Gratton.  The  Piasa  Bluffs  tower  high 
above  the  river  and  contain  many  marvelous  landscape  fea- 
tures. They  have  long  been  visited  by  nature  lovers  and 
are  well  known  places  ot  resort  throughout  the  region. 
Many  interesting  Indian  legends  cluster  about  the  cliffs. 
Close  b)-  the  cliffs  is  a  well  known  Chautauqua  assembly 
ground,  and  not  tar  away  are  interesting  old  estates  high 
up  on  the  river  bluffs.  On  account  of  the  proximity  of  this 
area  to  a  large  industrial  population  in  Illinois  and  Missouri 
this  should  certainly  be  one  of  the  first  tracts  to  be  acquired 
for  a  state  park. 

Pike,  .\d.\ms,  .and  Hancock  Cointifs 

In  the.se  counties  are  several  picturesque  tracts  along  the 
river,  those  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ouinc}-  having  already 
been  included  in  the  cit}'  park  system.  Near  the  boundary 
between  Adams  and  Hancock  counties  is  Lima  Lake,  one  of 
the  most  interesting  flood-plain  lakes  in  Illinois.  This  lake 
is  rich  in  aquatic  lite  and  is  a  great  feeding  ground  for 
migratory  birds.  The  tract  should  be  taken  over  by  the 
state,  preferably,  it  would  seem,  as  a  game  preserve.     Be- 


112  l'ro/>oSi-(/  I' ark  A  reus  of  lll/nois 

twcen  Warsaw  ami  Hamilton  in  Hancock  Count}  arc  in- 
teresting blurt's  and  woodlands  that  might  well  be  incor- 
poratcil  into  a  state  or  county  park  system.  Across  the  river 
from  these  blurts  is  the  place  where  Missouri  and  Iowa  meet, 
the  Des  Moines  River  entering  the  Mississippi  at  that  point. 
A  little  farther  up  stream  is  tlie  city  ot  Keokuk  with  its 
famous  dam.  Still  farther  north  in  Hancock  Count}'  is  the 
interesting  ohl  town  ot  Nauxoo,  so  important  in  Mormon 
historv. 


The  Preservation  of  Our 

River  Courses  and 

Their  Natural  Setting 


Road  in  Beautiful  Illiiic 


Road  in  XortluMii  Illinois.     This  also  oompai-es  with  the 
Ozark  Conntrv 


Road  in  Northern  Illinois 


The  Preservation  of  Our 
River  Courses  and 
Their  Natural  Setting 

.ll  NS  .Iknsen 

It  is  well  to  consider  the  significance  of  our  heritage  of 
river  and  stream  and  prairie,  of  wooded  hills,  of  bluffs  and 
cliffs  and  headlands  looking  down  over  winding  water- 
courses. Out  here  on  the  great  plains  where  a  twent}-five 
foot  elevation  is  called  a  hill  and  a  three  hundred  foot  ridge 
is  a  mountain  and  such  changes  in  the  geography  of  the 
country  are  a  rarity,  one  would  naturally  think  that  the 
appreciation  of  such  diversions  from  the  level  prairie  as  the 
bluffs  and  headlands  of  rivers  would  be  much  greater  than 
it  actually  is.  In  the  real  prairie  country  these  picturesque 
and  dramatic  expressions  are  always  found  in  the  rivers  and 
glacial  lake  depressions.  Through  thousands  of  3'ears  this 
process  of  sculpturing  out  the  rock  has  gradually  gone  for- 
ward.   Gorges  and  canyons,  broad  valleys  flanked  b}'  gentle 


1  i6  I' ro posed  Park  Areas  of  JUino'/s 

bluti's,  1)1-  hoki  and  daring  clitfs  is  the  result.  It  is  here  that 
nature  through  countless  ages  has  written  poetry  and  ro- 
mance deep  into  the  })rairie  soil.  It  is  here  where  we  today 
hnd  the  intimate  beauty  and  loveliness  ot  our  country  with 
her  hidden  treasures  in  contrast  to  the  tree  and  open  prairies. 
These  really  are  the  poets  of  the  prairie  country.  They 
work  on  the  imagination  ot  old  and  young.  It  is  here  where 
the  artists  are  born  and  where  the  poets  seek  tor  inspiration 
in  the  pure  and  unadulterated  soil. 

With  few  exceptions  this  land  is  unfit  tor  food  produc- 
tion and  was  {)rimarily  preserved  for  the  soul — it  was  so 
destined.  Primitive  beauty  still  reigns  supreme.  It  is 
America  in  |irimeval  state  and  it  is  still  here  in  a  great 
measure.  But  even  these  secret  shrines  are  not  safe  from 
spoliation.  Nothing  is  safe  that  might  bring  forth  the 
Dollar,  the  God  of  our  age. 

The  fertile  plains  were  destined  to  turnish  us  with  food 
for  our  material  and  bodily  welfare,  but  the  rivers,  blutfs, 
and  canyons,  the  inland  lakes,  and  hills  with  food  for  the 
soul;  woe  to  him  who  thinks  differently  tor  he  shall  dig  his 
own  grave.  The  early  pioneers  of  the  plains  took  shelter 
in  these  woods  which  fringe  our  rivers.  Here  were  the  first 
settlements  in  Mid- America  and  the  Indian  before  him 
builded  his  wigwam  in  the  same  place.  All  of  our  history 
has  been  written  in  these  woody  bluffs  and  the  flowing 
streams  below.  They  represent  the  only  book  of  history 
that  we  have.  The  great  out-of-door  school  of  vast  re- 
sources teaches  at  tirst  hand  the  great  and  only  lesson  man 
needs  for  a  healthy  development  of  body  and  mind. 

As  I  mentioned  before,  the  woods  are  situated  along  our 
water  courses  in  the  prairie  country.  These  woods  are  rich 
in  nature's  garments  that  here  cover  both  bluff  and  hill. 
Variations  in  soil,  moisture  and  protection  from  the  biting 
west  winds  has  brought  this  about.  Plants  native  to  a  more 
southern  region  often  follow  the  protected  river  bottoms 
wa}'  beyond  their  homes  in  the  open  countr}.  Here  you 
ma^•  be  about  with  the  great  Master  where  each  tfower, 
each  tree,  and  each  shrub  has  a  message  tor  you.  The  rivers 
are  the  great  highways  over  which  our  birds  travel.  No- 
where in  Mid-America  is  bird  life  so  rich.    Their  songs  and 


The  F reservation  of  Our  River  Courses    1 17 

gleeful  chatter  may  be  heard  above  the  towering  cliffs.  The 
valle3S  of  our  rivers  are  the  bird  sanctuaries  of  the  prairie 
countr}. 

Without  a  doubt  the  most  romantic  and  the  greatest  in 
vision  and  expression  is  the  Father  ot  Waters — our  own 
and  beautiful  Mississippi.  Its  tributaries  are  by  no  means 
inferior  in  some  ot  the  things  that  have  given  the  prairie 
rivers  charm  and  beaut)-.  The  Mississippi  has  this  expres- 
sion in  bolder  form  and  in  greater  measure.  At  times  it 
may  be  said  that  the  region  is  mountainous,  at  least  from 
the  viewpoint  of  us  prairie  tolks.  Eagles  may  be  seen  soar- 
ing around  towering  cliffs  above  which  rise  wild  and  foam- 
ing rapids.  Peaceful  islands  in  placid  waters  where  the 
elms  and  willows  can  see  themselves  arc  in  sharp  contrast 
to  the  picturesque  bold  and  massive  crags.  Thrifty  cities 
lie  snuggled  between  bluffs  and  hills  just  as  if  these  natural 
openings  had  been  sculptured  out  for  human  habitation. 
Laughing  brooks  hasten  on  through  worn  canyons,  centuries 
old,  to  join  the  great  Father  of  Waters.  No  greater  sanc- 
tuar} — no  finer  and  deeper  expression  of  the  great  out-of- 
doors  is  found  anywhere.  It  is  the  landscape  of  inspiration 
expressing  those  things  that  make  life  richer  and  fuller; 
those  things  vital  to  the  normal  life — things  that  are  needed 
as  a  balance  to  the  material  development  of  life,  and  this 
grandeur  is  right  at  our  doorstep,  just  where  it  should  be. 

It  is  therefore  not  surprising  that  we  should  lend  our 
efforts  to  the  preservation  of  these  shrines  of  the  out-of- 
doors.  It  does  surprise  one,  however,  that  we  did  not  think 
of  this  long  ago.  Many  are  the  scars  in  our  cliffs  and  in  our 
forest  covered  hills.  A  great  deal  of  natural  beauty  might 
have  been  saved  from  destruction.  However,  if  we  start  in 
earnest  now  the  possibilities  for  great  pleasure  grounds  in 
the  Mississippi  Valley  are  wonderful  and  the  scars  incurred 
by  men  will  soon  heal  under  the  guidance  and  the  direction 
of  Mother  Nature.  But  why  talk  about  the  preservation  of 
certain  disrricts  that  may  excel  others  in  grandeur  and 
beauty;  why  not  make  all  the  river  bluffs  public  property! 
Some  day  our  rivers  will  be  equally  as  important  as  pleasure 
ways  as  our  roadways  are  at  present.  Some  day  they  will 
become  the  most  important  and  the  most  beautiful  high- 


iiS  Proposci/  Wtrk  Areas  ot  Ul/nots 

\va\s  that  we  have,  and  especially  it  they  are  kept  in  this 
primitive  \\a\.  I  want  to  emphasize  that  they  will  be 
American,  because  this  is  America.  In  a  more  intimate  way 
it  is  Illinois.  Their  preservation  is  not  all  for  mere  plea.s- 
ure;  their  great  value  lies  in  what  this  primitive — this  real 
America  will  do  in  the  way  ot  fostering  a  greater  love  for 
our  country  and  awakening  within  us  the  tiner  strain  of 
the  chords  of  life.  It  is  in  the  uplifting  of  our  moral  stand- 
ards that  the  final  settlement  comes.  Just  think  what  rich- 
ness and  beauty  these  protected  river  highwavs  will  give  to 
Mid-America — what  a  lesson  to  the  World  I 

I  have  often  thought  what  it  would  mean  if  every  boy 
and  girl,  and  the  grownups  as  well,  from  farms  and  cities 
would  come  to  these  bluffs  to  get  a  greater  outlook  on  the 
world.  If  only  once  a  year  they  could  sit  down  on  the  edge 
of  a  steep  cliff  and  watch  the  currents  flowing  by.  If  they 
would  only  let  their  thoughts  follow  the  currents  away  to 
the  ocean  and  then  be  carried  along  on  the  gentle  waves  far 
beyond  our  shores  to  the  distant  lands  where  live  other 
peoples. 

In  this  wa\-  our  Mid-American  rivers  become  the  high- 
ways of  our  thoughts  that  may  cart}-  us  to  any  point  of  the 
earth.  From  these  same  crests  one  may  watch  the  beauty 
of  the  prairies  as  they  stretch  out  toward  the  great  moun- 
tains in  great  billowing  waves,  as  much  an  expression  of 
the  beauty  of  Mid-America  as  our  lovely  and  romantic 
rivers.  The  early  pioneers  of  Illinois  have  placed  in  our 
historic  archives  records  of  their  admiration  for  the  beauty 
they  saw.  Rivers  enveloped  in  deep  and  mysterious  forests, 
flowing  like  a  ribbon  through  open  prairies — prairies  ex- 
pressing a  wealth  of  color  from  the  petals  of  millions  ot 
flowers  which  reflect  their  brilliancy  in  the  heavens  above, 
and  at  the  same  time  express  a  freedom  and  breadth  ot 
greatness  unrivalled  anywhere  in  America. 

Let  the  Forest  States  of  the  North  jirovide  us  with  coal 
and  shady  woods  and  let  us  provide  the  great  highways  that 
lead  us  to  the  N'orrli  la^d'^  illuminated  by  the  magic 
Northern  lights. 

But  what  is  far  more  imjiortant.  let  us  jirovide  shady 
places  in  the  romantic  landscape  tor  the  millions  who  have 


TJtc  Prcscrcdt/on  of  Our  River  Courses  i  19 

not  the  means  ot  travel  and  still  most  important  surround 
them  with  places  of  primitive  beauty  so  that  it  may  exert 
a  daily  influence  upon  us  and  provide  pure  and  unadulterated 
surrounding's  amongst  which  our  children  may  grow  to  man 
and  womanhood — a  place  where  God's  liowers  decorate  the 
sanctuary  and  our  native  birds  sing  the  requiems.  Let  us 
look  into  the  tuture  to  the  time  when  ever}-  inch  of  soil  that 
can  be  cultivated  is  occupied  by  human  habitation  and  the 
population  has  become  dense.  Then  the  villages  will  have 
grown  into  towns  and  the  towns  into  cities  and  the  agri- 
cultural country  has  almost  become  a  scattered  village.  Just 
think  what  these  ribbons  of  primitive  America,  these  river 
highways  with  their  blutfs  and  canyons,  their  hills  and  val- 
leys, will  mean  to  the  future  American.  Like  the  branches 
ot  the  giant  tree  will  these  grand  parkwa}s  of  native  beautv 
spread  through  fertile  farm  lands  with  greetings  from  vil- 
lage to  village  and  city  to  cit)-.  Onh-  pure  and  simple 
thoughts  will  they  breathe  into  the  soul  of  our  great 
America. 

Some  da}-  our  great  land  roads  will  follow  these  river 
valleAS  extending  from  the  far  northlands  to  the  sparkling 
waters  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Canoes  with  merry-making 
Americans  will  paildle  down  these  \\-onderful  waterwa^-s  as 


Prairie  of  Illinois 


120  Vroposcd  Park  Areas  of  Illinois 

the  Indians  ot  the  past,  sin^in-;  to  the  glor}-  ot  our  wonder- 
ful country.  Camptires  will  light  the  hills  and  bluffs  until 
they  are  aglow  with  greeting  and  camps  of  tresh  air  seeking 
city  folks  will  rest  under  century  old  trees.  On  every  side 
are  the  fertile  plains  with  the  happy  homes  tucked  away  in 
the  sweet  scent  of  the  apple  blossoms  against  a  back-ground 
of  forest  covered  hills  and  ridges.  This  is  the  Mid-America 
of  tomorrow,  rich  in  everything  that  is  vital  to  a  strong  and 
moral  life. 

Let  us  hope  for  the  tomorrow. 


w) 


